She Walked Upon a Cloud
by AnotherChance
Summary: Girl gets sucked into Tortall fic. Sarah is transported into the land of tortall, which she knows absolutely nothing about because i hate it when they know all about everything and is asked to do a mission for the Great Gods. Danger and adventure ensue!
1. Prologue

Alright, your standard girl gets sucked into tortall thing. The sequels will cross over with some other series but none of you have to worry about that for a looonnnngggg time…

**She Walked Upon A cloud**

She walked upon a cloud.

This cloud, however was not one you would find in the sky, or heaven. This was a cloud made entirely of lego bricks. Sarah Gibson blew out a breath noisily. She knew where she was now. She'd had this dream countless times, and everytime it ended the same way.

Sarah sighed and kept walking. It always scared the shit out of her, but it was going to happen, one way or another, and the quicker the nightmare was over, the quicker she could spend the night watching infomercials on the TV and munching on leftover pizza. She walked towards the rotary clothes line, spying the grouping of red lego bricks warily.

Taking a cautious step onto the first of the red bricks she braced herself. Nothing. She sighed once more. It was never easy. It was never the first brick. Sarah took a second step, and felt the brick fall out from beneath her. _Here we go…_Seeing the real clouds approaching as she fell through the air terror gripped her. Although she knew what was coming a scream managed to rip itself from her throat.

She had this dream every now and then. She'd walk around a cloud of lego for a while, then she'd spot the clothes line and walk over, oblivious of the bright red lego bricks. Then they would fall out beneath her and she would fall, screaming until she landed unharmed on the family's old kitchen table. They hadn't owned it for about ten years, but it still figured in her dream. A distant part of her mind pondered that maybe it was because they had owned it when she first had her dream while the rest of her consciousness was gripped in terror.

Falling, ever falling, she noticed green grass and realised she was nearing the end of her free fall. _Closer… closer…_ Grimly Sarah realised that waking up was the worst part.

She fell through the roof, miraculously unharmed. But instead of landing on the table she fell right through it. Through the floor. Through what seemed like miles of earth. Realising this wasn't her normal dream, she let out a mindless scream as her wits abandoned her.

Her journey didn't last long, and during her fall she'd managed to get turned around, so she no longer saw what she was falling towards. For a brief moment she thought she saw a change in the stone that surrounded her, an ordering, like it was architected, and then she felt pain stab from her shoulder as she hit something solid.

Relief washed over her even as she realised this was a new nightmare she'd have to deal with every time she ate too much junk food. People surrounded her; they were dressed up as though they were attending a medieval ball. One dropped beside her, hands glowing purple. Sarah's eyes widened as she scooted back on her hands.

"Don't be afraid. No one is going to hurt you." The lady said, purple eye's sympathetic. Her words rang through Sarah's mind. _Hurt you… hurt…_ She gasped. The fall shouldn't have hurt. But it had… Sarah shook her head. There had to be a logical explanation.

"Uh…. W-where am I?" She stuttered, stalling for time even as she scooted away from the lady with glowing hands. A flash of light behind her, caught in her peripheral vision and her back hit a pair of softly clothed legs. Looking up she saw a woman with ivory skin which seemed to glow from within, and hair which seemed to flow with an invisible wind. She smiled and it filled Sarah with incredible warmth.

That was, of course, until she spoke. It sounded like winds crashing throughout a forest, wolves howling loudly within her mind. She clutched her ears even as she attempted to make out what this beautiful woman was saying. "Sarah has been brought here by us. You shall take her under your wing, Alanna."

Alanna struggled to bow while trying to block the pain from her ears. "By all means, Great Mother."

"There is more." Her voice softened, and as she continued Sarah found it easier to listen to her. Resting a hand on her shoulder, Sarah felt herself being turned around by an invisible force, and raised to her feet. "You, Sarah, have a job to do for us. You are the chosen messenger of the gods. You are here to complete a mission." Seemingly reading her mind, she added with a half smile. "No, you are not still dreaming. We had my brother, Gainel the Dream King transport you through your dreams."

As she stopped talking the warm feeling evaporated, replaced with disbelief, fear, and most of all confusion. "No no no… This is a dream. I'm asleep in my bedroom, on my lumpy mattress, suffering from the effects of too many cheesy poofs and starbursts…" She backed away from the glowing entity. Taking a deep breath, she added, "I'm going to wake up in 3…2…1…" She looked around expectantly. "3. 2. 1." She added forcefully. When nothing happened once again she became panicked.

The Great Mother's voice washed over her, soothing her. "Let me explain, my child. You are in a land called Tortall, which lies under the rulership of King Jonathon of Conte and Queen Thayet the Peerless. Here you will train in the arts of a knight, a mage and a shang. It is important you master these three skills, for the job we have for you is an arduous one. You need not know of it now, it will only cloud your vision of the time that lies ahead."

Sarah stood, mouth agape as she felt the eyes of the entire assembly upon her. Two figures, wearing the finest clothes among the lot stepped forward. "We would be honoured to have this young warrior among us, Goddess. Your trust will not be misplaced."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Who said I'm doing anything. As far as I'm concerned, this is all just some whacky dream. If I walk through that door then I'll probably be in some party full of clowns, or something. So lets just see what's behind door number 1, shall we?"

She walked over to the doors to the main hall, flung them open, and blinked when she was greeted by an empty hall way. "Oookay…"

An impatient man dressed in golden armour, who glowed as the Great Mother Goddess glowed appeared. His voice shook like thunder, and the pain in her ears and her mind threatened to overwhelm her. "Quiet. Accept it. Deal with it."

Gasping, she fell to her knees as she looked upon this newcomer. The Great Mother rounded on him. "Careful, brother, we are asking for her help."

Sarah shook her head and rose. "Right. Dream or not you can both go to hell. You rock up, claiming I have this, this _mission_ to do for you. Well I'm not buying it. Send me home, wake me up, whatever. _I don't belong here._"

Mithros stepped forward threateningly, his armour gleaming even in the absence of sunlight. "You don't have a choice in the matter."

Her chin jutted out defiantly. "Really? And if I don't train to be all those things? If I choose not to do this little mission of yours?" Gasps surrounded her as the people of the ball. No one had ever spoken to a god like that and survived.

Mithros closed the gap between him and the mortal girl, grabbing her arm roughly. His other hand lay on her head, fingers splayed. Images played throughout her mind, children dying at their parent's hands, people starving to death as flies surrounded their rotting corpses. Sickness claiming the lives of entire villages. She heard people crying out to be saved, even as horsemen mowed them down with swords that glinted with blood. But the worst part was the smell. Death permeated her nostrils, as she breathed in involuntarily. She watched the scene replay over and over again, with different families, different villages and different people.

When she became aware of her surroundings again she was on her knees on the floor, her face blank and stained with tears. The red headed, purple eyed lady was on her knees in front of her, shaking her slightly. "Shh… shh.. it's ok. It's ok…" Sarah shook her head and looked past her.

"No." Her voice shuddered as she realised this wasn't a dream. Her worst imagination didn't come close to thinking up such gruesome details. "No it's not alright. What the _hell_ was that?"

The Goddess spoke up. "That is what will happen if you do not complete your mission. We only get glimpses of the future, but you have seen all that we know. Now you understand why it is imperative that you complete your mission."

Sarah managed to nod. The gods turned to the monarchs. "You must provide her with training. The best you can. Shang, knight and mage training. You-"

"Wait a minute. Mage? I don't have any magic…"

"Yes you do." The Great Mother replied, turning back to the monarchs. "It is up to you. If her training is inadequate, she will fail and this world will be lost."

Jonathon nodded bravely. "I understand Goddess, Mithros."

They nodded and disappeared, without another word, leaving Sarah Gibson kneeling on the stone floor of the Grand Ball Room, on the second day of the Midwinter celebrations, in a world that was completely unfamiliar to her.

TBC

Alrighty then.

The prologue was a little short, but I figured I should leave it there.


	2. Hang on I'm Not A Science Experiment!

Come on guys, at publish of this chapter, 23 of you have clicked on! I have to believe a couple of you actually got past the essay of an authors note, so why hasn't any one reviewed? Not saying it has to be a good one… I'll be happy with a this is crap what do you think you are doing.

Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter 1

Sarah awoke with a start. Briefly she wondered whether the events of the previous evening were nothing more than a bizarre dream. Then she looked around the room, and her heart sank.

No, she was still stuck in this weird world where everyone talked differently and dressed like King Arthur and his court. _Great._ She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood shakily. Her legs ached from the fall.

She made her way over to the chest of drawers, looking for some clean clothes to change into, painfully aware she still wore her night gown from the night before, which might not have been the most… _conservative_ of pyjamas. They weren't skanky, but Sarah somehow thought that the old fashioned environment she found herself in might not appreciate the knee length garment.

As she found the drawers were empty she heard a sharp rap on the door. Looking up she saw the red haired, purple eyed woman stick her head through the door. "Ah, good, you're awake." Noticing the open drawers she added, "I see you're one step ahead of me. I brought these." She held up a pile of breeches and shirts, and a few skirts.

Sarah's stammered a quick thankyou, and as she took the pile of clothes from the other woman she gave her a sideways glance. "I- I'm sorry. With all that happened last night, I seem to have… forgotten your name." She finished quickly, looking down as her face reddened.

"It's Alanna." She grinned. Gesturing to the clothes, she added, "Try those on. If they don't fit, we'll get them tailored. You're probably wondering what's going to happen today."

Sarah stepped behind the screen with a pair of breeches and a shirt. "I was kind of curious. I mean, who's going to be training me in all that I'm supposed to learn?"

She stepped out from behind the screen, modelling for the older woman. Getting a nod in approval she moved to put the rest of the clothes in the drawers by the bed. Alanna continued. "Well, I'm going to be training you in your Gift, as well as Numair. You'll start by training with the pages, but basically you'll just be in the room with them while we speed you along. You'll train with the Shang Wildcat in the arts of combat, she knows a lot about a lot of different weapons. She trains the pages too, so you'll be training with them then too."

She hesitated. "She may… have a problem with training you."

Sarah looked up sharply. "I thought that- that guy yesterday.. god, whatever he was… said that-"

Alanna interrupted. "He did. But the Shang are… particular about who they train. They like to get the kids when they're young, and they think the Gift… serves as a crutch, so they don't train Gifted people."

Sarah flopped back onto the bed in dismay. "Right. Great. So I get a teacher that hates me. What else is there?"

Alanna continued. "There's more than just the physical aspect to becoming a knight. You have to learn a lot. Math, geography, tracking, history. The king also thought that you should probably, when summer starts, train with the riders in the evening. They learn a lot of useful skills." Alanna eyed her thoughtfully, playing with the hems of her sleeves. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Sarah nodded.

"What are you going to miss? Back home?"

Sarah's mouth worked. She hadn't thought about that. She let her eyes stare into space as she thought about home. _Mom…Little Johnny… her dog, Rufus… even school._ Sarah returned to the room and quietly answered. "Everything." She stood up and let out a sigh. "Alright, well I've met you, so would you mind introducing me to the rest of my teachers?"

The red head nodded. "Let's go."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

She shook hands with the lanky man. "Pleasure to meet you Numair."

"And you too, young miss. I just wish I had gone to that ball last night… visitations from two gods, you, falling _through_ the ceiling…" Sarah began to squirm as he eyed her like a science experiment. Daine laughed as she recognized Sarah's predicament.

"Numair, leave the poor girl alone. She can't help that a bunch of gods singled her out. Stop treating her like an experiment." Sarah grinned her appreciation.

Alanna spoke up from next to a pile of books that was nearly as tall as her… which was next to another pile of books which _was_ as tall as her. The small office was jammed packed with books, scrolls, chalk boards and writing implements. "We should get going. We still need to speak to Wildcat, and she'll probably want to test you. You're actually quite lucky, she's probably more tolerant than most Shang would be."

"Great… I get to be _tested_." Daine giggled, and Sarah grinned.

Numair picked up a cloak and said entirely too cheerfully. "Let me come with you. I could do with a walk." He gave Sarah a hungry look, and both her and Daine groaned.

"Good luck." The Wildmage said.

"Aren't you going to help me?" Sarah pleaded.

Daine grinned and shook her head. Sarah sighed gustily. "Let's get going then." She set off at a fast walk, trying to make the trip as short as possible.

About halfway through the winding stone corridors Numair couldn't contain his curiosity any more. "So… Sarah… Are the courts in your land quite as peculiar as ours? I mean, here there are female knights, and the Queen has her Riders…"

Sarah was a little thrown by the question. "Actually, where I come from, a land called Australia, we don't have a monarch. I mean, _technically_ we are part of monarch, but no one considers us one. We're a nation of our own, run by a Prime Minister, who we elect into his position. Other countries have a President. They're elected also, the difference is the government itself. Don't ask me though, when they forced that parliament rubbish down our throats in primary I tuned out. As for woman, we're treated as equals and…" She trailed off when she noticed that the mage had stopped walking with them and his mouth now hung open. "What?"

He shook his head. "You don't have monarchs, all women are treated equally… how much power do the nobles hold in your land?"

Sarah shrugged. "Australia doesn't have nobles… I think that's basically a royalty thing and since our country doesn't have any…" Again he stopped. She was beginning to get annoyed at him. "Do you mind? We _are_ trying to get somewhere." By now they had reached the outer steps and were making their way to the training fields.

They approached the training fields in silence, Numair looking very thoughtful. Every time he opened his mouth to ask another question she shot him a death glare. He didn't utter a word.

When they got to the training fields Sarah noticed a lone figure spinning and twirling with a staff, launching impressive blows with each swing at a training dummy. The lady was focused on her moves, her hair whipping around with each twirl. Ending the pattern dance with a primal yell and a strong _thwack_ with a downward swing of the staff, she stood appraising the odd group.

Approaching the odd group she wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked Sarah up and down, appraising her. "This her?" She asked Alanna.

Alanna nodded, cringing inwardly. It didn't help when the Shang didn't address her new charge directly. "Meet Sarah. The gods want you to train her." A gentle reminder to be nice.

She returned her gaze to Sarah. "Let's get this over with then. We'll start with a warm up. Run around the fence ten times, then meet me in the centre of the field."

Sarah shrugged. _Can't be that hard._ She soon learned her lesson. First it was that she didn't run fast enough. Then when they got into the exercises she wasn't strong enough, or when she ran a makeshift obstacle course she wasn't agile enough. After half an hour of this Wildcat pursed her lips, threw her hands up and announced, "I can't train her! The pages have more fitness than her!"

Sarah gave her a glare. "Hey! I'm fit for where I come from. I'll have you know that Australia is one of the fattest countries in the world-"

Wildcat interrupted her. "It doesn't matter. You have the fitness of a lame hag!"

That was all she got out before a loud crack was heard and Mithros himself the god of war was standing before the Shang. She dropped to her knees before the god.

Mithros was almost amicable about the experience. His voice was reasonable when he said, "I know she's very difficult to work with. But there is a lot at stake, and she needs to be trained well. Meaning you need to get over your problem with training a Gifted 17 year old and start training her." Wildcat managed a nod. "Good. You have our gratitude."

He was about to leave when Sarah stepped forward. "Wait." Mithros looked at her impatiently, as though to say _What_ _is it now?_ "I- I just wanted to know what's going to happen to my family. Are they just going to live on without me?"

Mithros nodded. "Yes. Your point?"

She looked shocked. "They'll wonder where I am, what's happened to me… What happens if they file a police report and then I turn up and-"

He stopped her babbling with a hand. "You'll see them when your mission is completed."

She jutted her chin out defiantly. "That's not good enough." Everyone froze, shocked that she dared talk to someone so sacred as Great God in such a manner. "You have to do something."

He stared. "Such as?"

The question took her aback. "I- I don't know… but you can't expect me to risk my life for you while my family thinks I'm dead!"

He regarded her thoughtfully. "I'll consult with the others and see what we can do." He shook his head at her, disappearing.

She watched him leave, growing angrier by the second. Finally she turned around, let out a primal scream and smashed her fist into the training dummy. Again and again she hit the dummy, until she hung off of it in exhaustion.

Turning around, panting, she glanced up at Numair, Alanna and Wildcat. "Sorry." She muttered. Wildcat just gave her a nod and picked up the training session where she had left off.

Sarah was awoken the next morning, bruised and sore from her training session the previous day, when she was thrown from her bed by Wildcat, who had a very smug look on her face. "Time to get up."

Sarah peered bleary-eyed through her window, to see the sun only just rising. She groaned, but got up anyway, knowing the Shang wouldn't give her the five more minutes she desperately desired. "Your normal classes won't start until Midwinter's is over, but that doesn't mean you aren't mine for the next four days. So lets get started, shall we?" Sarah knew from the feral grin on Wildcat's face that today was going to be a _very_ long day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n. Ok, I know at the start of the story I said she wasn't going to be a Mary Sue. And I have tried as hard as I could to keep her from becoming one. But in the next two chapters she is a teensy weensy bit Mary Sue-ish. Lol, but then again, who isn't. I just did it in the nature of expediency, and the fact that while a course might take a group of eleven year olds four years to complete, it would probably only take a seventeen year old a couple of months. Imagine someone in grade 12 taking grade seven at the same pace as someone in grade 7…. Not likely, huh? Anyway, on with the story!**

**First Day at School**

Sarah punched the training dummy again and again. _One, Two._ _One, Two._ She breathed out sharply with each hit, breathing in as she drew her fist back for the next. Wildcat had been training her for about 3 hours now, and she was bordering on exhaustion. Her punches were getting sloppier and sloppier, but for some reason Wildcat had stopped correcting her. She just watched.

Sarah gritted her teeth and tried harder to throw a proper punch. She managed another three good hits before she hit the dummy completely wrong and a sharp pain travelled up her arm. She cried out, clutching the offending appendage to her torso as she hissed in pain. It wasn't broken, it wasn't even sprained, but it _hurt._ Wildcat grinned. "See what happens when you throw a sloppy punch? Next time you get that bad off, punch _slower_. You'll get more punches out that way, and better practice. Let's see it then." Sarah allowed the Shang to look her arm over, wincing as she prodded. "It's not hurt badly. Come on, its breakfast time. You'll need all of your strength for what's up next." She grinned ferally, and Sarah shuddered, shaking her head.

"Right… any hint as to the upcoming torture? Is it an obstacle course? It's an obstacle course isn't it? You want to get me more agile so you're going to make me run an obstacle course-" Wildcat cut off her ramblings.

"Don't worry about it now. Just go and get some food and meet me back here in half an hour. If you're late I'll grind you into the dirt. Go!"

Sarah nodded apprehensively before scurrying off. Running into Alanna in the hall, she scowled as the red head burst out laughing at her appearance. "Wildcat training you hard huh? Where are you off to, I thought the Cat would want you for a while more. I was just on my way to watch the torture…" She was interrupted by the full blown death glare that Sarah was now sending her way.

"I'm off to breakfast. Wildcat has so kindly given me a half an hour break after three hours of hitting things on an empty stomach! You never told me how hard Shang training is." The last part was an accusation. Alanna changed her direction to keep up with the strange teen as they headed towards the barracks for breakfast.

"Well you hadn't thought it would be easy, did you?"

Sarah grumbled her reply, "No… but I had hoped."

Alanna let out a full laugh at this, and led her through a large set of doors and towards the cooks, who greeted her with a 'milady', scooping porridge and fruit into their bowls. When they reached the tables Sarah started shovelling her food, ignoring Alanna's raised eyebrow. She didn't stop until her bowl was empty, pushing it forward and leaning back in her chair, eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" Alanna asked, concerned.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah… I'm just not used to this kind of work. It's kinda a shock to get up before dawn and train for hours on end. I don't know how I'm going to survive the rest of the day; Wildcat wants me all day everyday for the next four days…" She groaned and hit her head on the table. "I am so dead."

Alanna grinned. "Well you know… if you want I can start to train you this afternoon, that way you don't have to do a solid day of physical training. The ambassador from Tusaine is going to be at the ball tonight, and he wants to see this new 'messenger of the gods'. You'll need to put on a strong face for him, or he'll spread the word that you're a weakling."

Sarah nodded emphatically, grabbing her arm. "Really? Oh thank god. I-" She remembered something. "I have to go! She's going to kill me!" Sarah scrambled from the table, grabbing another apple from the servers before running to the training field, throwing 'excuse me!' over her shoulder occasionally.

Making it to the training fields, Sarah prayed she wasn't late. Noticing that her teacher wasn't there she sighed in relief, leaning on the fence for support, and waited for the torture to begin once again. Glancing at the sky, she thought, _It's_ _still early morning yet. Lunch is a long way away…_When she saw her teacher approach she had to bite her tongue from groaning out loud. Inwardly she wondered how she was going to survive the next few months if she had to go through this everyday.

Wildcat grinned. "Ready to start again? I must be losing my touch; you came back. Let's get started then." Sarah pushed herself off of the fence with a groan and got set for a few more hours of hitting things, blocking strikes and falling on her arse.

Noon rolled around and Sarah was the worse to show for it. Bruised and battered forearms accompanied knuckles that were raw and stiff. Alanna took one look at her and moved to heal her hands. Wildcat intercepted her. "If you do that her hands will never callous; she'll never be able to hit effectively."

Alanna rolled her eyes. "It's her first day, did you have to go that hard on her?" The Shang merely grinned.

Sarah chose this moment to speak up. "Am I free? Are you here to rescue me?" She asked hopefully. Wildcat scowled, and Sarah suddenly realised that saying those things out loud may not have been the best idea.

Alanna nodded and took her arm to lead her away. Glancing back at Wildcat, she saw her teacher was grinning maliciously. "Until tomorrow, my victim."

Sarah shuddered, allowing the red headed knight to lead her away for lunch.

After lunch she found herself being led towards the quarters that Numair and Daine shared. Realising what was going to happen when the lanky mage spotted her she groaned.

As predicted, when they arrived at the quarters, his eyes lit up when he saw her. "Sarah… welcome back. You are _just_ the person I wanted to see…" Daine appeared at the door, grabbing his arm and pulling him back, allowing them entry.

"Down, tiger. Do _not_ interrogate her."

"Spoil sport." Daine stuck her tongue out at him.

Sarah stepped through the door haphazardly, almost expecting to be tied to a chair and forced to answer questions about school, work, sport and who knew what other questions.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Alanna cleared her throat, gesturing to the floor next to where she had taken up a position, as both Numair and Daine dropped into a cross legged position. Sarah took the hint and took a seat, completing the circle.

Closing her eyes when Alanna did, she heard the knight speaking softly. "Breathe in deeply." She paused. "Alright. Now breathe out." She repeated herself several times. "Bring your focus inwards, clearing your mind." They sat in silence for a while until Alanna continued. "Okay. Now feel your Gift inside you. Follow it deeper within yourself. Follow it to your centre. Sarah, what do you see?"

Sarah took a few moments before answering. She had found her gift surprisingly easily, and she soaked in the sight before answering. "I see… a ball. It looks string, but it hasn't got a texture, like light. It's tangled…"

"Good. Pick a piece. Now try and force it back into the ball. It'll be hard, because your Gift has never been tamed before…"

Sarah tried, she really did. She pushed and shoved the string with her mind, trying everything she could think of to get it to join with the ball. Biting her lip she tried to think of another way to get the pesky string to do as she wanted. She took a deep calming breath, examining the ball in her mind's eye. As she was about to start pushing again, she was startled out of her trance by a hand on her arm.

Jumping at the physical contact she put a hand back to stop herself from falling backwards. Alanna was grinning, and Numair looked thoughtful. "What?"

Alanna replied. "You did well. Not many new mages can see their magic's core on their first meditation. Don't worry, I didn't expect you to be able to influence your Gift yet. You'll need time to acclimatize yourself to the fact you _have_ the Gift first. You didn't even react to the hourly bell."

Sarah looked confused. "Hourly bell? We've been here for an hour already?"

Daine laughed. "Nope. Two."

Sarah shook her head, and tried to move her aching limbs. "No wonder my legs hurt so mu- ahh!" A cramp hit her calf as she stretched her legs out in front of her.

Daine winced in sympathy as Alanna moved to massage the cramp out of her calf, hands glowing with her Gift. Sarah let out a relieved sigh. Half heartedly she asked, "What will Wildcat say about you helping my cramp?"

The Lioness grinned. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her." Sarah returned her grin, grateful for the older woman's attitude. When her leg no longer throbbed, Sarah stretched languidly.

"Thanks Alanna. Christ that hurt."

Numair perked up. "Who's Christ?"

Dread filled her as she realised that now she'd have to explain Christianity, and probably every other religion she could think of and knew about. "Um… a God where I come from. But I'm not sure whether they're real or not…" She trailed off, realising her mistake.

"They?" Numair looked fascinated.

"Uh… yeah… you see Christ is the son of God… and they, together with the Holy Spirit make up one God… It's kind of confusing…"

Suavely he interjected. "I'm sure you can muddle your way through an explanation."

Sarah sighed gustily. She glanced at Daine. "A little help?" The wildmage shook her head.

"Nope, I'm interested too."

Sarah groaned, and settled in on a long discussion on something she barely understood.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Trudging to her quarters near the barracks, Sarah unlocked the door and threw herself on her bed in exhaustion. Fighting the tide of sleep unsuccessfully, she had a brief thought about needing to be awake in a few hours before she drifted into blissful rest.

She was shaken awake by Alanna. "Come on! Get up! We're going to be late."

Sarah looked up, bleary eyed. "Huh?"

"For the ball, it's Midwinter, there's one every night, now you have to get up!"

Sarah looked confused. "What am I going to wear? I only have breeches." Remembering what Alanna had told her earlier, she added, "I don't think that that Tusaine guy is going to be impressed by breeches and a shirt…" She trailed off as she noticed the package in Alanna's hands.

"Not ordinary breeches, no. But these are some that Kuri Tailor designed; they look almost like a skirt but are much easier to move in. We want the Tusaine ambassador to know that you're a warrior in training, not some lily fingered noblewoman. Now hurry up and get dressed."

Sarah grabbed the clothes and stepped behind the screen, grateful that Alanna had seen fit to take her to a bath before sending her to her quarters. Surprised that they fit her perfectly she turned questioning eyes to Alanna. "I told Kuri which set of breeches fit you, and she made them in your size."

Sarah nodded, muttering "Duh." Under her breath before turning to the mirror. The breeches were made from soft silk, and were a deep green colour that matched her eyes. They flowed, looking almost like a skirt, the pant legs so baggy that it was hard to distinguish them. The shirt was a lighter green colour, and hung loosely over the breeches. Hearing a tsk, tsk-ing sound coming from Alanna, she felt a belt being thrown over her shoulder.

"Put that on, and tuck the shirt in. Geez, how do people dress in your world…"

Sarah grinned. "You should see the teenage boys. They leave half their butt hanging out of their pants, and the girls? They might as well be wearing belts for the length of their skirts."

Alanna shook her head, surveying the young woman's appearance. She pursed her lips and gave a nod. "Alright, hair and then face paint."

Sarah screwed up her nose. "Why am I wearing face paint, is it a fancy dress? I- oh. Make up. Gotcha. No thanks."

She expected an argument from Alanna, but instead the knight grabbed her chin and inspected her face. Giving a nod she said, "Alright then, just the hair. How do you want it?"

"Um… out?" Alanna sighed, brushing her hair back and pinning up the fringe, which fell across her face. When she was done, she went outside and looked around the potted plants that lined the corridors. Seeing a pink flower, she picked it and tucked it behind Sarah's ear.

Surveying her once again, Alanna sighed in exasperation when she saw the pink toes poking out of the bottom of the breeches. Thrusting some soft leather boots towards her she said cheerily, "Put those on and we're done."

When she straightened there was a knock on the door, followed by Daine poking her head inside. "You guys ready yet?"

They moved outside, where they were met by Sir Raoul of Goldenpeak, Commander Buri of the Riders, Baron George, Alanna's husband, Numair and, of course, Daine. "Why such the large crowd?" Sarah asked.

Buri replied. "We need the Tusaine ambassador to see you as a warrior. What better way then to introduce you with the leaders of the different factions of the Tortallan army?"

Sarah muttered under her breath, "And you've all got dates too…" She was startled when an arm looped its way through hers. A young red head, about her age, had appeared at her side.

Alanna snickered. "Real subtle Alan. He's your escort for the evening, by the way." She added for Sarah. "And our youngest son."

Sarah grinned. "Cool."

He bowed with a grin. "Page Alan at your service. Ma told me about you and I just _had_ to escort you."

The female knight snorted. "Only because it gets you out of serving duty at the ball."

Sarah drew herself up to her full height, a not very imposing 5' 6". "Page Alan, are you using me to shirk your duties?" She said, pretending to be angry.

He grinned. "Of course, my lady." Sarah giggled.

A serious expression set itself upon George's face. "Speaking of nobility, the King thought it would be appropriate for you to have a cover story, and a title. You said you came from a town called Coff's Harbour?" She nodded. "Alright then, you can be Lady Sarah of Coff's Harbour. From the distant land of Australia, across the Endless Sea."

She raised her hand at this. "Um… not meaning to throw a spanner in the works or anything… but there aren't any nobles in my country."

George shrugged. "Pretend there are."

She nodded, and Alanna gave an impatient shooing motion. "We have to get going or the King is going to have our heads."

They made their way to the Grand Ballroom, where they waited patiently for the herald to announce them. When Alanna, George, Buri, Raoul, Daine and Numair had all been announced, Sarah swallowed hard, flitting a nervous glance to Alan. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. You look stunning."

She gave a nervous grin. "Thanks." Sarah was cut off by the herald opening the door.

"Page Alan of Pirate's Swoop and Lady Sarah of Coff's Harbour, from the land of Australia across the Endless Sea and Messenger for the Gods." All eyes turned to them and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Why did he have to say that last bit…" She muttered, before walking as gracefully as she could manage up to the King, Queen and Tusaine ambassador and giving a deep bow, as Alanna had instructed.

She saw mirth in the Queen's eyes as the woman on the throne noticed her discomfort. The Queen gave her a quick wink, causing Sarah to grin before she turned and bowed just as deeply to the ambassador. "Sir Rolon of Tower Keys, it is an honour to meet you." She said in as polite a voice as possible while inwardly she cringed. His appearance, greasy hair, hooked nose and polite sneer on his face, screamed slime ball.

He replied in a voice just as polite as Sarah's, the sneer never leaving his face. "And to you too. Tell me, are Court functions as formal in your land as they are here? In Tusaine only whores wear breeches."

Alan's face turned thunderous and both the monarch's eyes flashed dangerously. Sarah replied before they could respond. Her voice was icy when she spoke. "I'm sorry if my appearance offended you, but I haven't the time to shop. You see, I'm busy training to fulfil a prophecy, and a dress just isn't suitable attire for a warrior." The mirth returned to Thayet's eyes, and Jon looked relieved. Giving a slight nod to the monarchs, she added, "When I was outside I noticed quite a line. Surely I am not so interesting to keep all those lords and ladies waiting?" She received a nod in reply and moved to her seat upon the dais, where she was instructed to sit by a footman.

She blew out a sigh, noticing that Alan was still tense and shooting death glares at the Tusaine ambassador. "Relax," she murmured. "Don't let him get to you. I know he was insulting the Queen, and Alanna, and Buri and every other woman that's ever worn breeches, but you can't let him get to you. He wants a reaction. _Don't_ give him one."

He relaxed a little. "Sorry. I won't kill him, don't worry. How'd you get to be so good at dealing with scum like him, anyway?"

She gave a mirthless laugh. "Do you have bullies here? Kids that pick on other kids to make themselves feel big and strong?" Alan nodded. "Well I wasn't exactly the most popular kid at my school, and you learn to deal with jerks pretty quick, or they keep coming after you."

He nodded. "I see."

By now the introductions had been made, and the monarchs had moved to the dais, ready for dinner to start. With a start, Sarah noticed that Thayet was sitting directly across from her. This left the King sitting across from Alan, and the ambassador sitting across from Alanna, who had taken up a seat next to Sarah. Her face fell slightly. Now she was going to have to deal with him for the duration of dinner.

Turning to Alan she whispered, "How long do we have to sit here?"

He replied in an equally quiet tone, "Until dinner's finished, duh."

She elbowed him, "And how long does that normally take?"

He glanced up to see the ambassador looking at them. "Entirely too long, I think."

Sarah looked up with a falsely cheerful smile. "So, Sir Rolon, how are you liking Tortall so far?"

He looked down his hooked nose with disdain. "I'm finding it severely lacking."

She smiled sweetly. "And why might that be?"

He didn't reply for a few moments, leading her to believe he may have ignored her, which suited her just fine. When he finally replied, he said with disgust, "Because the monarchs allow inferior women to fight their fights. It's a disgrace."

Alanna bristled, forcing a polite tone in her voice with a struggle. "And yet the gods have chosen a female as their messenger… Makes you think, doesn't it?"

The King cleared his throat, throwing a warning look at both Alanna and Sarah. The Queen looked very amused, but as though she was trying to suppress it. The ambassador glared at the offending women.

The rest of the dinner passed without incidence, and when the time for dancing arose, Sarah and Alan drifted to an alcove and sat down. "God, he's a dick." She muttered under her breath, glaring daggers at the ambassador. Noticing someone making their way towards them she swore under her breath, leading Alan to ask what it meant.

She blushed, saying 'nothing' quickly before the King stopped in front of them, an eyebrow raised. "Well Sarah, that was certainly interesting. Do they have diplomacy where you're from?"

She rushed to defend herself. "Hey, he called me a whore. I had to defend myself somehow. You should be grateful I didn't slap him, like I wanted to."

The Queen had joined them now. "You're lucky you didn't. He would have construed it as a challenge to a duel, and somehow I don't think you're ready for one of those yet." She said with a grin. Slapping her husband's arm playfully, she added, "Leave her alone. If he had of said those things directly to my face you would have had him escorted to the border with an armed guard."

He grinned ruefully. "I know, and I'm sorry I got angry. I'll tell you one thing, having you around is going to be an interesting experience."

She returned his grin, until she heard what he said next. "Dance? No, I don't think so. I _can't_ dance. I don't know how, I'll just embarrass myself."

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright… but you don't want Sir Rolon to ask you first without any experience… If you dance with me, chances are he won't ask. He's just trying to find a weakness, even if it is two left feet." He looked sidelong at the ambassador. "And if he asks, for diplomacy's sake you'll need to comply."

"But… but…" She couldn't think of an excuse to refuse him. She groaned. "I'm going to step on your feet, you know."

"It's not that hard. Come on, I'll show you how, and you can just follow my lead."

He led her unwillingly onto the dance floor, leaving Alan and Thayet sitting, amused, in the alcove.

The rest of the ball went much the same as the first half. Sir Rolon, seeing that she could dance, didn't ask her to, and left her alone for the rest of the night. The next three days followed the same pattern as the first one, Wildcat waking her early and grinding her into the dirt, Alanna taking her for the afternoon to meditate and teach her a few simple things she could do with her gift, and finally a ball in the evening.

Each night a young man was knighted, prompting her to ask Alanna what test they passed to attain the rank of knight. A haunted look passed over the Lioness' face, and Sarah quickly backtracked. "It's ok if you don't want to tell me."

Alanna quickly shook her head. "It's ok. There's a room, called the Chamber of the Ordeal. It tests you. We aren't allowed to speak about what happens in there, but basically it tries to break you. You have to survive in there without saying a peep for the entire time before you can become a knight."

Sarah gulped. "Will I-" she swallowed to clear her suddenly dry throat. "Will I have to go through the Chamber of the Ordeal?"

Alanna looked thoughtful. "I don't know… I guess it's up to the gods… Although they did say they wanted you to become a knight, so I'd say probably…"

On the fifth day Sarah started her regular routine of training. She was up at dawn, training with Wildcat until breakfast time, which she took in the barracks with Alanna.

Sitting down with her tray in front of her, Sarah fiddled with her breakfast until Alanna poked her with a spoon. "What's wrong?"

Sarah sighed. "You know, this is exactly the reason I never learned martial arts. By the time I wanted to, I was older than most of the other kids in the classes, and it would have just looked ridiculous. And here I am, seventeen, training with a bunch of eleven year olds."

Alanna grinned. "Relax, no one's going to judge you. They'll all be fascinated. It's not every day you meet a messenger for the gods."

She settled into her breakfast, actually using her spoon to eat the porridge and fruit instead of drawing funny pictures in the oats. Finishing her breakfast she stood up with a grunt. "Okay, still not used to the aches and pains of training. Remind me to eat standing up next time."

Alanna chuckled. "Trust me, you'll get used to them. The aches, pains, cramps, spasms and otherwise uncomfortable side effects of training all day, every day."

Sarah glared at Alanna.

Holding her hands up placatingly, Alanna said, "Why don't I walk you to the training fields?"

They joined Wildcat on the field as about seven first year pages trickled in. Sarah's eyes narrowed as she noticed a largish boy kick the legs out from underneath a scrawny looking boy. She started forward, and Alanna and Wildcat both laid hands on her shoulders. "It's the way things are done here. If you try to defend him he'll say he doesn't need anyone to defend him, and if you question him on what happened he'll say he tripped on his own and young Bradley was trying to help him up."

Sarah seethed, but let it go. What was she going to do, beat up an eleven year old?

Wildcat chose this moment to speak up. "Alright, staff's up. The same drills we were learning before Midwinter. If you don't have it perfected by now then you weren't practicing over your little holiday. And you all know what I said about not practicing. Bradley, you're up first."

Alanna murmured in Sarah's ear. "She did that so he doesn't have a chance to learn from the others' mistakes. If he didn't practice he'll be doing pushups for the rest of the lesson." Sarah nodded.

The routine consisted of a lot of different swings and blocks with the staff, which, unfortunately, the little bully managed to do to an acceptable standard.

Wildcat called the next five names, and the two of them who didn't perform the routine well enough were stuck in the corner doing pushups.

Sarah held her breath when Wildcat called the name of the scrawny boy. "Riley, you're up."

He swallowed, visibly nervous, and started the pattern. At first it was a little shaky, but he picked up confidence towards the end. Wildcat pursed her lips, "Good enough." She said gruffly. "Practice that ten more times then fall in. Sarah, come over here."

She dragged Sarah over to a corner, and showed her how to hold a staff. "Alright, now bring the bottom half up. No, rotate it around the centre, don't bring the entire staff up. Good. Practice that until I tell you to stop. Don't let me catch you resting."

Sarah nodded. Somewhere in the next ten minutes Alanna left, leaving Sarah practicing her lower block in solitude. Suddenly, her staff made contact with another object. Looking around, she saw Wildcat's staff resting on her own. "Good. You didn't get sloppy. You've improved from your first day quite a lot." Wildcat moved around so she was in front of her. "Now, I want you to do the same thing you're doing here, except bring the other side down until it's parallel, like this-" She demonstrated.

Watching her practicing she gave a brief nod. "Same as before, keep practicing until I tell you to stop.

Sarah practiced blocking until nearly the end of the lesson, her arms growing tired. Wildcat had come over occasionally to show her a new technique, but she was mainly left to her own devices. She was startled out of her practice by Wildcat calling to her. "Sarah, come over here, you can take part in this one. Alright everyone, this is Sarah, you're parents probably told you about her. She's the one who fell through the ceiling." Sarah blushed at this. "And she's here to train at the god's behest. Okay, pair up!"

Sarah's stomach fell as she realised what Wildcat intended. _But I've only learned blocks..._ It fell even further as she noticed who she was left to pair with. The little monster, Bradley.

Wildcat approached them. "Alright, Sarah I know you've only learned blocks, but that doesn't mean you can't defend yourself. None of his hits should touch you. If they do, then it'll be fifty laps around the field _before_ you leave."

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. It's not as though complaints actually got anywhere with the Shang. She set herself in the now familiar stance and prepared for the first attack.

He started off slow, as though trying to gauge her skill level. Then he got faster and faster, throwing in a few feints in an attempt to throw her off. She barely kept ahead of him. At one stage he hit in the same manner repetitively, lulling her into a repetition before attacking on the other side. She stopped his staff an inch from her shin, moving at such a force that it might've broken her leg if it had actually hit.

Finally Wildcat called for them all to stop, and Sarah let her guard down. A staff hit the back of her knees and the next thing she knew she was looking up at Wildcat, who looked amused. "What did I say about not getting hit?"

Sarah groaned, but Riley spoke up, a slight tremor in his voice. "Um… Shang Master Wildcat… I saw Bradley hit her after you said the exercise was over. She didn't get hit during the exercise." Wildcat's eyes narrowed.

"Really?" The young boy nodded, nervously as the larger boy's face became thunderous.

"Right. Bradley, you're cleaning out the stables for the next three Sundays. Thank you Riley."

Sarah pushed herself up from the ground as the pages left the training yard. Calling out, "Riley, wait up!" She wandered over to the younger boy. Giving him a serious look, she asked, "Are you going to be beaten up for what you just did?"

He gave a miserable nod. "Probably." Sarah looked regretful.

"Well, thanks for what you did. Next time, just let it slide, ok? No point you getting beat up because I let my guard down, even if the exercise was over. And Riley?" She added as he turned away, "Give him a few good punches, if it comes to that, alright? Don't take it lying down."

He threw a shaky grin over his shoulder, "I'll try," And ran out of the field.

Wildcat cleared her throat. "Now, normally I'd give you laps anyway. You got hit, one way or another, and all's fair in battle." At Sarah's crestfallen face, she added, "But, I don't see a point for young Riley to get the snot beaten out of him if you had to do the laps anyway."

Sarah grinned, "Thanks. I've got to get going, Daine's teaching me horse riding, and archery. Something about not wanting to embarrass me too much in front of the pages because I can't actually ride one of the beasts…"

Wildcat nodded. "Get going. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah met Daine at the stables. "So what's first? Which one of these fine beasts am I riding today?" She asked in a cheery mood.

Daine grinned, and led her out to a paddock filled with more horses. "None of them. You'll be picking one of _these_ horses as your own."

Sarah's eyes widened, "I get my own horse? Cool!"

Daine's smile spread. "What, you expect the throne to _lend_ you a horse? How skin flint do you think they are? The gods want you trained properly, so you need these things."

Sarah nodded, repeating quietly, "Cool…" And wandered around the paddock. She spotted a honey-gold mare standing by a tree, all alone. Walking over to inspect it, she ran her hand down its back, feeling the soft hair of its mane. Daine walked up behind her.

"A beauty, isn't she? Her name's Topaz. Blow in her face." Sarah looked up sharply at this, puzzled. Daine laughed and explained. "It's like saying hello. Go on."

Sarah hesitantly blew on the horses face, receiving a snort and a lick on her face in return. "Ew… horse spit…"

Daine giggled and the horse looked insulted. "Sorry…" Sarah mumbled.

"Alright, now let's take her into the stables and get her tack on her. I figured we might as well start from the basics. You can meet my horse too." Sarah nodded, distracted by the horse seeming to follow them without being told to.

"Um… Daine… how does she know what to do?"

Daine stopped in mid stride. "Are you serious?" Sarah nodded, slightly unnerved. "I thought we explained Wildmagic to you."

Sarah shook her head. "Nope. You were _going_ to, but then Numair started to interrogate me… I guess we all forgot."

Daine laughed. "Oh. Well Wildmagic exists in a lot of different forms. In me, I can talk to animals, and change into them. I can heal them to, if I need to." They had finished their walk to the stable while they were talking. Another brown mare poked its head over a partitioning wall, and Daine walked over to it. Calling to Sarah, she introduced her horse. "Sarah, this is Cloud. Cloud isn't going to bite you because Cloud is going to be a good little horse for _once._" She added firmly for the horse.

Sarah watched, fascinated, as the horse seemed to bow its head in shame. She was amazed at how different everything was compared to home. She was broken out of her reverie by Daine tugging her over to the tack rows of tack, lifting a heavy looking saddle made from shiny new leather and metal off of the shelf. "This is yours." She palmed it off the Sarah, who staggered under the weight.

"Geez, that's heavier than it looks." Daine grinned, gesturing for her to bring the saddle over to the waiting mares.

The next half an hour constituted of Daine showing Sarah how to correctly gear up a horse and mount it. They ran a few tedious laps around the fields until they dismounted, to Sarah's delight. "I don't know that I'm ever going to get good at riding a horse."

"Nonsense." Daine said soothingly. "Of course you will. You just need some practice. Apparently you're coming along quite well with your combat training."

Sarah narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How would you know that?"

Daine looked away, avoiding meeting Sarah's eyes. "Um… Alanna told us, and Wildcat told her."

Sarah looked dubious. "Right. Wildcat said something good about me."

"No, she really did. Apparently you're 'working hard and picking up the basics pretty quickly' I believe the words were."

"Really? Cool… So… are you going to teach me how to use a bow and arrow?" Sarah looked eager.

Daine shook her head. "Not until you clean all of the tack and groom Topaz."

Sarah set into her work quickly, trying to get the job done quickly. As it was, it took three attempts to groom Topaz properly before Daine would take her back out to the training fields. Palming over an apple at Daine's instruction, Sarah gave Topaz's nose a quick pat before running back to the training fields.

There she found Daine setting up two targets about fifty feet away from the fence.

She picked up a bow, frowning. "Hey, where's the string?"

Daine passed her a little packet. "Oh." She tried to string the bow. She eventually managed to get the bow stringed, pointedly ignoring that Daine strung hers with ease.

Casting a cheery smile at the Wildmage, she asked, "What next?"

Shaking her head in exasperation, she picked up an arrow. "Alright, put your arrow to your string like this… Good. Now draw it back. Your elbow should go past your ear. No not like that…"

A further half an hour passed before she could hit the target. After the day that she'd had her arms were burning with every shot. Daine saw this and gestured for her to stop. "Alright, I'm not mean like Wildcat and Alanna. We can stop here. Let's go get some lunch. You know, for someone who hasn't used a bow before you did pretty well."

"Thanks." She grimaced as she flexed her muscles, trying to return feeling to her biceps.

After lunch she was sentenced to death by boredom. Stuck in her etiquette class, Master Oakbridge was boring her to tears with a lesson about how bowing to a monarch is different to bowing to a duke, which is different to bowing to a foreign duke. When that was over, she all but ran out of the class to her numbers class, glad to be somewhere where she might learn something she liked.

However, it wasn't to be. As soon as she noticed the level of the class' work she groaned, loudly, which drew a glare from her teacher. "Kosciusko Mountain, what seems to be the problem?"

She looked embarrassed, "Sorry sir… It's just that where I come from this is rather simple."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Let's see how you do with…" he rifled through the parchment on his desk. "This."

He put a new paper on her desk. She looked down, almost laughing at it. It was basic trajectory equations, useful for firing catapults and other such weapons. Scribbling down a few answers that she obtained from Newton's formulas, she handed the paper back to him. "Wrong."

Sarah gaped. She was _never_ wrong when it came to Newton's Laws. "What? How?" Some of the boys in the class snickered.

"You used the wrong methods."

She frowned. "Are the answers right?"

He looked down, and did a double take. "Yes…"

"Well then what's the problem?" She asked.

He just frowned and placed another parchment down upon her desk. "Do these."

She shrugged. Sarah enjoyed maths, and was done in a matter of minutes.

When the teacher saw the answers he sputtered. "These are right too!"

She just shrugged. "So?"

He looked at her in amazement. "We've never used methods such as these before. Show them to me."

She spent the rest of the lesson showing the teacher Newton's Laws. By the end of the lesson it was decided she wouldn't need to come to any more numbers classes, and that she would make alternate arrangements with Alanna, who was supervising her training.

Heading to her history class, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Alanna's father, Sir Myles of Olau, was the teacher. She made it through that class without any mishaps, and was startled when Myles called her back. "How are you coping, Sarah?"

She shrugged. "Alright, I guess. This is only my first day of normal classes, so I have no idea…" She trailed off when he piled four books into her arms, with a piece of parchment on the top.

"Good. Because I figure that you'll need to be caught up as quickly as possible. So this is all the necessary reading for you to pass the examinations. I figure, you come here, study here during the allotted time, but ignore my classes. You seem bright enough to learn from a book. So make sure you bring it with you for every class. And here-" He piled some blank parchment, quill and an ink bottle onto the pile. "You'll need these if you're going to study well."

She grinned over the pile. "Cool, cause in case you didn't notice, you kind of get distracted during class and end up doing basically nothing."

He grinned back. "You should get those books to your rooms. Alanna told me that if you were late she was going to skin you and me both."

Her meditation with Alanna went smoothly, with her able to clear up more of her magical core. When she was finally dismissed for dinner she was cramped, sore and stiff. Unsure of whether she could make it to the barracks for dinner she stumbled to the pages' hall, determined to scab some dinner off of the cooks there.

When she had her tray she looked around for a spare table to sit at; she didn't want to sit with a group of young boys while she tried to eat her dinner. Seeing Riley sitting all by himself she walked over to him, a frown spreading on her face as she noticed his condition. Sitting next to him she murmured, "Is that shiner of yours because of me?"

He looked miserable. "I- I fell…"

She scoffed. "That's bullshit, you know it, I know it, and I bet that little punk Bradley knows it too. Why didn't you tell a teachers or someone about it?"

He shrugged. "It's- it's against the code."

Sarah looked confused. "Didn't Myles say that it's too much trouble for you pages to worry about the code? Something about it causing undue pressure…"

He shook his head. "We still follow it."

She pursed her lips and snarled when she saw the bully headed their way. A hand on her arm stopped her as she moved to rise and confront the young boy. Riley looked up at her with scared eyes. "Please?"

She sat back down but stuck her foot out. As Bradley moved past them, raising a hand to give Riley a whack on the head he flew forward, tripping over the offending appendage. Quickly Sarah stood, bent over and picked the boy up roughly. "Alright there, kid? Just remember, I'm watching you." She gave her best death glare to emphasize the comment, and the boy scurried away to his friends.

Sarah gave Riley a cheery smile and tucked into her dinner, leaving as soon as she finished.

After dinner she joined Alanna and Numair for a lesson on the Gift. Now that her magical core was tamer, she was able to start learning spells.

"Alright." Alanna said. "Try lighting this candle." Sarah reached for the flint, confused, only to have her hand slapped away. "With your Gift." Alanna added.

Sarah smacked her forehead with her palm. "Duh." She muttered under her breath. To Alanna she said, "How?"

The knight replied, exasperated. "Envision it on fire, and try accessing your Gift. It should make it happen."

Sarah frowned, but tried anyway. Concentrating, she thought she saw a spark. Trying harder she flinched violently as the candle burst into flames directly in front of her face. Picking herself up from the floor and righting her chair she glared at Alanna and Numair, who were snickering. "Yeah, yeah. Very funny. Which one of you did that, so I can know who to deck?"

Alanna still looked amused, but managed to rein it in enough to reply. "Neither of us did it. You need to learn control. You used _entirely_ too much Gift." Gesturing to another candle, Alanna added. "Try again."

Sarah tried again, but didn't put as much effort in to it. She was rewarded when only the top half of the candle burst into flames. Her grin was shot down when Alanna frowned. "Do it again, this time only use a _little_ of your Gift. At this rate we'll run out of candles."

Sarah scowled, concentrating on another candle. Briefly thinking how lighting all of the candles in the room might quieten Alanna's criticism, she was amazed when they all lit up, casting a gentle hue upon the room. Sitting back, Sarah blinked.

Alanna and Numair both gaped. "What did you do?"

Sarah broke out of her reverie and had the decency to look sheepish. "I- um… I thought that if I lit them all at once then you might stop criticising me… I mean, it was only my third try…"

It was Alanna's turn to look sheepish. "I'm sorry Sarah. I guess I'm just used to you excelling in leaps and bounds…"

Sarah grinned. "No prob. Anyway… what do you want me to do now?"

Alanna blew out all of the candles. She smirked. "Try lighting just _one._" Sarah grimaced, once again concentrating on one candle and using even less of her Gift in the effort to light it. A tentative flame spread from the candle's wick.

Sarah's grin reached from ear to ear. "I can light a ca-andle. I can light a ca-andle." She started singing, to the amusement of Numair and Alanna.

Glancing at the candle on the wall which marked the time, Alanna swore. "Sorry we kept you so long Sarah, I didn't realise the time." Reaching for a book from Numair's desk she handed it to Sarah.

Sarah grimaced. "More reading?"

"More?" Numair looked quizzical.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, Sir Myles gave me a bunch of books so I wouldn't have to wait for him to get around to all the subjects in class…"

Alanna chuckled. "Trust him to do that. Yes more reading. Chapter one by tomorrow."

Cracking the book open Sarah cried out, "But that's thirty pages! On top of the essay I have to write for Master Oakbridge about how I would greet a monarch from another country and how it differs to how I would greet King Jon and Queen Thayet… which I highly doubt me writing 'yo!' on a spare bit of paper will do-"

"I can make it up to chapter two if you'd like." Alanna interrupted her rant.

Sarah shook her head. "No thanks. Chapter one will be fine."

Alanna grinned. "I thought so. Now go and get stuck into your homework. You don't want to fall behind, trust me."

The days followed in much the same pattern as the first day. Sarah would follow the routine that had been set out for her every day, barely keeping ahead of her homework. On a Sunday, the pages' day off, she would spend half of it with Wildcat, the other half studying further, trying to get as far into history and magical theory as possible.

Occasionally she would run into Bradley in the halls, and she gave him a death glare everytime she did. As far as she could tell, he didn't bother Riley again.

As the days became easier for Sarah to handle, the nights became harder. More often than not she would wake from a nightmare about the pain and suffering that Mithros had shown her, or about her family and friends forgetting her. On those nights she would get up and study until sleep lulled her once again and she returned to her bed. Some nights she was disturbed more than once by the images of people dying, in hunger and pain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Unprepared**

Months had passed since Sarah had first arrived in Tortall. The intensive training with Wildcat had payed off. She had surpassed the younger pages in skill with weapons and bare hands, and now found herself training with the older pages as they learned tilting, and how to use swords, daggers, axes and other weapons used in battle. She also trained for an hour every day with Sir Keladry of Mindelan, learning how to use the glaive.

Whistling a jaunty tune as she wandered down to the training field, she was surprised to see not Wildcat standing, waiting, but Alanna and Queen Thayet. Approaching them she nodded, "Alanna, Queen Thayet." Before moving to the middle of the field to start stretching.

Thayet scowled as Alanna smirked. "I've told you time and again to call me Thayet!"

Sarah grinned. "But it annoys you oh so much!"

Alanna was laughing by now. "Hey, don't bother with a warm up, this is your day off."

Sarah shook her head. "Nope. I've got too much work to do. Wildcat says I'm still dropping my shoulder as I punch, and I've got to get into shape ASAP."

Alanna and Thayet exchanged glances. "Well Wildcat isn't going to join you today."

Sarah shrugged. "So I'll train myself."

Thayet shook her head. "No… you're coming to the markets with us."

"No…" Sarah started before Thayet cut her off again.

"Do I have to make this a royal order?" She pursed her lips. "Fine. Either you come to the markets with us or I'll have you locked in your room."

Sarah moved to head back to the castle before Alanna added, "And I'll take away your books." Now Sarah glared crossly at the knight and queen.

"Fine. Let's go. It's not as though I have any money to buy anything, so I don't see the point…"

She trailed off as Thayet threw a small pouch to her. Opening it she gaped at the contents. "This is… this is a fortune." She tried to give it back.

Thayet shook her head, laughing. "Honestly, you'd think the crown was poor. No, you keep it. You've been working hard for months without a break, you need to treat yourself."

Sarah cracked a grin. "Alright. You've sold me. Let's go."

Thayet smiled and looped her arm around Sarah's, leading her towards the markets, with Alanna following close behind.

Sarah wandered, wide eyed, through the markets. She passed stalls containing rich smelling meats, beautiful looking miniature statues of animals, cheap looking weapons and many other interesting items.

Alanna steered her into a little shop, which was bustling on the inside. Everyone stopped work to bow or curtsey deeply to Thayet, and one lady approached them. "Majesty, Lady Alanna." She greeted with a grin.

The red head returned the smile. "How are you Lalasa?"

The lady shrugged. "I can't really complain. Business is better then ever."

Alanna nodded, and looked like she was about to continue the conversation when Thayet interrupted. "Lalasa, this is Sarah. We'd like it if you'd make a dress for her."

Sarah's hand froze as she reached to shake hands with the woman. "Um… in case none of you noticed I'm quite _comfortable_ in those lovely breeches."

Thayet nudged her and Sarah continued the gesture to shake Lalasa's hand. "And you'll be comfortable in a dress."

Sarah grumbled. "But I can't fight in a dress…"

Alanna grinned. "If _I _have to wear a dress, you have to wear a dress."

Sarah scowled. "Why are we wearing dresses anyway? Midwinter's the better part of a year off!"

Thayet laughed, and Lalasa looked like she was trying not to. Alanna retorted, sarcastic, "Because we _only_ have balls during Midwinter…"

Still laughing, Thayet interrupted. "There isn't a ball anytime soon, but you'll need a decent dress when there is, and you don't want to give poor Lalasa here more work, trust me, she gets enough last minute orders as it is."

Sarah glared, but it soon melted away with a sigh. "Fine… let's get this over with."

Lalasa led her to the counter, where she took her measurements and showed her various styles. She chose a deep green colour, and was finally released from her torture. When she tried to pay, Lalasa shook her head. "This one's on the crown. Queen's orders."

Sarah scowled and turned to Thayet. "Why give me money if you're going to pay for it all?"

Thayet shrugged. "You didn't want the dress; you need to spend the money on something you actually do want."

Sarah sighed, and walked outside. Partway down the street she was confronted by a tattered looking man. "Spare a copper, milady?"

Sarah started. She hadn't considered this factor of life even existed in Tortall. As she moved to give the poor man a copper noble, Alanna's hand on her arm stopped her. The red head gave her a brief shake of the head, which Sarah studiously ignored as she offered the noble to the homeless man.

Soon she was swamped with similar requests, and surrounded by many more homeless people, all clambering for some money, no matter the amount. Alanna dragged her from the crowd, and Thayet followed quietly, a sober look on her face.

"If you give one of them some money, the rest will want some. It's sad, but it's a fact of life. Most of them are in that position because of substance abuse, or gambling problems. That man you gave the money to? Ten to one says he's straight there in the Dove or another fine establishment with in ten minutes, either wasting it on mead or throwing it away on the dices."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Who are you to say what that man will or won't do with the money? That poor man probably hasn't had a decent feed in a month, and who knows how many days it's been since he's eaten." Sarah became angrier and angrier as she spoke. "How dare you tell me not to help that man when he asks for it?"

Alanna opened her mouth to speak, looking just as cross as Sarah, but Thayet silenced her with a hand on her arm. "You could spend all of your money here buying food for the homeless and there would still be children to go hungry at night. You can't help them, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Whatever. I need to be alone right now, so if you'll excuse me…" She pushed past Alanna, who was about to stop her and continue the argument. A shake of the head from Thayet stopped her.

"She needs time to cool off. She's not used to all of _this_." The queen waved an arm around. She added softly. "Just give her some time."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah stomped down the street, not making eye contact with anyone, studiously ignoring all of the stalls and vendors. She didn't pay any attention to where she was going, and that's how she got lost.

Making a wrong turn, she found herself in a dead end alley. When she noticed, she turned around to get back to the main street, only to notice a large man blocking it off. Sarah looked him up and down. The crooked nose of someone who's had it broken one too many times, stubble that showed it had been days since he had shaved, and a smell that told of an apparent phobia of soap.

When he opened his mouth to speak, she noticed several broken teeth, and she shuddered at his expression as he leered at her. "Hello sweetstuff. Care for a bit of fun?"

She muttered a shaky, "No thanks," And tried to push her way past him.

She felt a strong hand grip her by the throat, and another shove her painfully against the wall. His rancid breath in her face almost made her gag as he snarled, "That wasn't a request."

All of the training with Wildcat flew out of the window when Sarah saw the long knife that he pressed upon her throat. She whimpered and closed her eyes. "Please… I'm here with Sir Alanna the Lioness and Queen Thayet the Peerless. Don't hurt me. Please." The last part was a whisper.

His laugh made her skin crawl. "Oh really? I don't see them anywhere, do you?"

She was frozen with terror. As he moved in to plant a sloppy kiss on her mouth, Sarah saw a brilliant violet light, even through her tightly shut eyes, and opened them to see Alanna and Thayet in the mouth of the alley, looking about ready for murder. The disgusting man jerked away, leaving a trail of blood on Sarah's shoulder as he lost control of the blade.

Sarah sank to the floor, unseeing, as he grovelled on his knees before Thayet. "Please, Majesty, don't kill me. Please, I didn't know…" The monarch growled, but didn't move. Alanna moved next to Sarah, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sarah started, fear showing in her wide eyes.

Alanna soothed, "Shh. Don't worry. Let's get you back to the Palace. It'll be okay." She supported Sarah on one side as she moved to be closer to Thayet.

The man was still grovelling when they reached the queen's side. "Enough." Alanna barked, grabbing him roughly by the collar and yanked him to his feet. "I'm taking you to the Provost's Guard, and you're going to confess to what you tried here. After that, it's up to the priestesses for the Great Mother Goddess. Now march!"

He whimpered as Sarah leant on Thayet. They waited in the mouth of the alley until Alanna returned, then the Queen and Lioness helped Sarah on the walk back to the palace.

Worried that she didn't say a word on the journey back, Alanna shook her head at Numair and Daine as they jogged up to them, worried. They had been in the stables, tending to the horses, when Numair spotted the small group's return.

Leaving them standing on the path, Alanna and Thayet navigated the palace with a silent and withdrawn Sarah between them. When they got her into her rooms and sat her down on her bed, Alanna took up a position next to Sarah, while Thayet pulled up a chair in front of her.

Alanna poked at her shoulder, using her healing magic to seal the wound. They sat in silence for a few moments, incredulous at what had almost happened. Finally Alanna asked, worry in her eyes as she surveyed her young charge. "Sarah, are you alright?"

Sarah looked up, as though seeing Alanna for the first time. Shaking her head slightly she started sobbing. "No."

Alanna hugged her tightly, whispering "It'll be alright." Over and over again.

Sarah withdrew stiffly, tears running down her face. "H-how is it going to be alright? If I c-can't defend my- myself against a thug like that, h-how am I going to do the mission for the g-gods?"

Alanna just hugged her again, crooning softly, as Sarah cried herself to sleep.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Thayet scowled at Jonathon. "You're telling me, husband dearest, that we can't give him the same sentence as if he tried to, oh, attack Alanna for example, because she isn't technically a noble?"

Jon steeled himself before nodding. "I think that's what I said…" Thayet growled.

"So he only gets two years in the mines, as opposed to fifteen? That's ridiculous. He deserves more."

Jon sighed. "You know the law as well as I do. Two years is the standard for this kind of thing. If he had actually gotten anywhere…" He trailed off as he realised his mistake.

"Gotten anywhere? Oh, so his punishment would be more if he had violated her? Oh well, maybe next time we'll let him get a little further. You're so heartless!" Thayet exploded. Storming out, she left a bashful King standing in the middle of the room.

Sarah awoke before dawn the next morning. Examining the room, she wondered what had awoken her. For once, she hadn't had any nightmares about what Mithros had shown her, so it wasn't that. Hearing a growl, she sighed. She'd slept through dinner the night before, and her stomach had started eating itself in hunger.

Fully awake, she realised there was little chance of her getting back to sleep, and dressed quickly, fingers trailing softly over the scar left by Alanna's healing, eyes tearing up. Shaking her head furiously, she shoved her feet into her boots and made her way down to the kitchen.

Begging some food off of the kitchen maids, she wandered around without a direction, until she found herself at the indoor training fields. Gritting her teeth, she moved over to the staffs that lined the walls. Picking one up, she gave it a little twirl, throwing a few blocks out, as fast as she could. She practiced her latest pattern dance that Wildcat had shown her, throwing every ounce of her strength into the precise blows.

Putting down the staff, she started doing pushups. When she had exhausted her arms, she rolled over onto her back and started sit ups. All throughout her training session one thought ran through her head. _I've got to get stronger._

The dawn bell startled her out of her trance-like training, and Sarah swore. Getting up, she ran for her life down to the outdoor training field, leaping the fence as Wildcat entered through the gate. She tried a feeble grin. "I'm here before you. No punishment."

Wildcat glared for a moment, but her face softened. "I suppose you're right. Impressive jump by the way."

Sarah grinned, but inwardly she was cold. The events of the previous day had shattered her confidence, and it was going to be a long time before it returned.

The next few weeks went the same. Sarah would get up early, awoken by nightmares of either what Mithros had shown her, or the man that attacked her. She'd find her way to the indoor training fields after scamming some food off of the maids, and train until she the dawn bell. Sometimes she would make it to the outdoor training fields before Wildcat. Other times she wouldn't, and the punishment was fifty laps around the training fields.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

One day, instead of meditations with Alanna, she was taken to a meeting with the King and all of her teachers, to report on her training. Sitting down in the offered chair, she noticed that Alanna sat next to her, and Wildcat on the other side.

Thayet grinned at her, miming slapping Jon on the back of the head, and Sarah giggled. The king gave her a smile, which made her laugh harder. Numair arrived with Daine in tow. Soon all of her teachers had appeared and the king asked them all for a progress report.

She was surprised when Myles spoke up. "I think, barring Master Oakbridge or Shang Wildcat's objections, that she will be ready for the big examinations very soon. Assuming that we will follow the basic structure of page instruction?"

Oakbridge and Wildcat both nodded. Sarah looked down at her hands to avoid meeting their eyes as she blushed at the compliment. The king arched an eyebrow. "How soon is soon, Myles?"

He grinned at Sarah, setting her at ease. "Well, personally, I think now."

The other two nodded, a sparkle in Wildcat's eyes, even though Oakbridge looked reluctant. He spoke his worries; "Certainly she could _pass_ now. But her grades would hardly be impressive."

Both Myles and Wildcat scoffed. "Maybe not for your class…" Sarah muttered under her breath, drawing a chuckle from the others.

Alanna looked thoughtful. "You know, I bet she could pass the Adept's tests at the Royal University…"

The King looked even more intrigued, while Numair nodded his agreement. The monarch said slowly, "Alright, we'll consider that. How goes it in the Shang training, Wildcat?"

What Wildcat said next shocked them all, Sarah especially. "Well, quite good actually. That might have something to do with the extra hour and a half that she spends training in the indoor training rooms before our morning sessions." Sarah started. "I followed you after that second morning. I had to get up earlier each morning because each time I got to your room, you were already gone."

Alanna's eyes narrowed. "You're doing what?" the knight's voice was a little too sweet.

Sarah mumbled something under her breath as Alanna slapped her upside the head. "You're going to wear yourself out, you know that? You're going to burn out. What were you thinking? Look at me." The last part was a command, and Sarah reluctantly met her eyes. "You've got bags under your eyes, and you're pale. _You're working too hard._"

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Alanna covered it with her hand. She heard Numair mutter to Daine, "And you thought I over reacted when you stopped your heart that time…" Daine giggled until Alanna shot her a death glare.

Alanna asked quietly. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" Although she already knew the answer.

Sarah replied in a whisper, not meeting anyone's eyes. "So I'll be strong enough."

A look of profound sadness crossed the knight's face, quickly chased away by disapproval. "I still don't like it." She sighed. "But I don't see how I'm going to stop you."

Sarah grinned. Wildcat chose this time to speak up. "Well I guess I'm going to have to go to bed a little earlier if I'm to get up at four thirty in the morning, aren't I?"

"Really?" Sarah looked hopeful.

The Shang nodded, and the meeting was called to a close, leaving Sarah, Daine, Wildcat, Alanna, Numair and the two monarchs to enjoy a quiet dinner.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Months further had passed, and Sarah was now Alanna's proud squire, having passed the examinations with ease. It had been decided that instead of waiting the full four years as a squire, which would be infeasible on the gods' time frame, when Alanna said she was ready, she would enter the Chamber of the Ordeal.

Sarah had just finished her work out in the field, practicing her sword work against the knight in question, and they were on their way to Numair's quarters for more mage training. Having narrowly missed the grade of Adept when she took the test, she was preparing to take it again.

Her face showed her confusion when they stopped by Alanna's quarters. By way of explanation, Alanna said, "I just need to pick up a few things. Come on in, I have to _find_ them first."

Sarah grinned and walked through the threshold, jumping about two feet in the air when multiple cries of 'surprise' rang throughout the room. "What the-"

Daine walked over and hugged her. "Happy Birthday, Sarah."

Sarah blinked. Quickly counting off the fingers on her hand, she started. "It is too… But how did you know?"

"Remember when you first came here, I asked you when it was? And you said it was four months, twenty eight days after you arrived in Tortall?"

Sarah grinned, and looked around the room. There was Wildcat, Myles, Thayet, Jon and George. Looking around, she frowned. "Hey, where's Numair?"

Daine scowled. "He's late." Just then, the afore mentioned man bustled into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone, but Harailt and I discovered- Oh, you're here already."

Sarah grinned, and addressed the group. "Thanks so much guys, I completely forgot about it."

Daine led her to the table, where gifts were stacked in a tall pile. "Open them! Come on!"

Sarah sighed, and started at the top of the pile, where the smaller packages were. Picking up a small box, she shook it gently and asked who it was from. When Alanna owned up, Sarah opened the packaging carefully. Seeing a beautiful pair of emerald ear bobs she gasped. "These must have cost you a fortune." She looked up at Alanna, who waved it off.

George replied mischievously. "Nah, didn't cost us a copper. I nabbed 'em from some rich noble when they were fool enough to wander into the Dove."

Alanna hit him playfully on the arm. "We did _not._"

Sarah grinned, and stood to hug them both. "Thankyou."

Spotting a book shaped package she smiled. "Hold on, I don't want to know who gave this to me. It's a book, isn't it?" She looked over the pile. "And it looks like it's the only one there… so my guess is Numair?" They all chuckled as he scowled. Opening the packaging she spied writing in gilded gold, the words reading _The Gift Throughout the Ages_. Opening the book she noticed neat, spidery writing. She stood and hugged Numair and Daine, until Numair cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Daine's present is _that _one."

Sarah looked shocked. "You didn't have to both get me something. Heck, none of you had to get me anything. I completely forgot about it."

"Nonsense." Thayet said. "You're eighteen now, and that's an important age. You're an adult now, here and in your home."

Sarah's eyes misted over as she thought about home, but she quickly shook her head of the memories and grinned at Thayet. "Thanks guys."

When she finished opening the presents, she took stock of her new possessions. Earbobs from Alanna and George, a book from Numair, a crossbow from Daine, a long, beautiful Yamani sword from Wildcat, a golden necklace from Myles, a broadsword from the king and queen, as well as a full wardrobe of expensive looking clothes, which Sarah suspected Thayet had had made for her from the measurements she had given Lalasa on that day at the markets, and a dagger, also from Alanna.

Smiling a teary smile at everyone, she said again, "Thankyou so much, everyone. This is wonderful."

There was a brisk knock on the door, at which Jon said, "That'll be the maids with the food."

When Alanna opened the door, however, it was an exhausted footman, followed by a worried Raoul. "Majesties." The footman gasped out. "I bring news from the border. The Tusaine King has declared war. His soldiers are marching under the Tusaine flag. They'll be at the border in four days."

There was a flurry of motion after the announcement, and Sarah found herself sitting outside the Inner Council's chambers, waiting for Alanna to come outside. While she waited, she thought about what was going to happen in the next few days.

She was startled out of her reverie when a pair of booted feet entered her downward gaze. Jumping to her feet, she said, "Alanna, what's going on?"

Alanna explained quickly and quietly. "I'll be going to the border. You'll be staying here."

Sarah frowned. "But if I'm your squire, shouldn't I go too?"

Jon overheard this. "Normally, yes. But you're too important to risk in war."

Sarah shook her head stubbornly. "But then how am I going to get any experience in a war? How am I going to progress to the rank of a knight, like the gods want me to?"

The king opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. She had a point.

Alanna, however, wasn't convinced. "You're not ready."

Sarah scoffed. "I'll bet I have a higher level of training than any of the soldiers here." She looked pointedly at Jon. "Am I right?"

He nodded reluctantly. Alanna shook her head. "You aren't going."

Jon shook his head, "Alanna, she has a point. If she can't cut it in a war, then how is she going to be able to handle whatever the gods throw at her? And we do need all the skilled help we can find."

Alanna shook her head, but her resolve was breaking. Sarah added, almost conversationally, "You know, Jonathon here could make it an order, if it would make you feel better."

She ducked under the death glare the knight gave her, although it soon melted. "Fine. I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. You'll need to get packed. And come on, I have something in our rooms for you. It's your last birthday present, I was going to give it to you later…"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah sat atop Topaz, in her shining new armour. Alanna used the measurements that Lalasa had taken to create a full suit of armour, which Sarah was only just getting used to wearing. They sat on the border between Tusaine and Tortall, waiting for the Tusaine soldiers to appear on the horizon. Sarah was in her place on the front lines, next to Alanna, who had a telescope held to her eye. "They're coming. I can see them now." The knight said.

Sarah's eyes widened, wondering briefly whether or not she was ready to kill a man. She didn't have long to think, however, as the Tusaine soldiers came closer and closer, becoming visible to the naked eye.

They stopped one hundred yards from the Tortallan front lines, and in the back of her mind Sarah could swear she heard western music. Fighting the urge to hum some under her breath, she watched warily as someone, obviously a messenger stepped forward out of the ranks and walked nervously towards Alanna.

When he reached them, he unrolled a scroll and started reading from it. "His Royal Majesty King Fuleron the Third of Tusaine bids his welcome. He states that should you surrender your persons and this land you will be treated fairly, and some of you may even be returned to what remains of Tortall, pending your acquiescence to his requests. He states-" Alanna cut him of with the sharp raising of a hand.

"Enough. Go tell your leaders that they should leave now if they want to avoid bloodshed." Sarah briefly noticed a hawk fly down and transform itself into Daine, who transformed slowly and into her clothes at the same time. Standing up to whisper in Alanna's ears, the red head grimaced. Turning to Sarah, who was watching the messenger as he made his way back to Tusaine's ranks, she muttered, "They have a further rank, just out of site from our spotters, for reinforcements. This is going to get messy, even if they don't have any animal support."

Sarah grimaced and swallowed hard. Suddenly, she felt someone in her mind. She let out a croak before it all well black.

Alanna saw Sarah dismount, and frowned. "Sarah, get back on Topaz." The young woman didn't seem to hear her as she started walking towards the Tusaine army. Alanna moved to grab her when a voice sounded in her head. It was a soft voice, one she recognized as the Great Mother Goddess'.

"Don't."

Daine looked up at Alanna, alarmed when she saw the older knight give the signal to stay where they are, even as they both watched tersely as Sarah picked her way towards the soldiers.

They saw archers tense and raise their weapons, aiming at Sarah. Alanna made ready to move against the Goddess' orders when a strong hand held her in place, although no one touched her. She gritted her teeth.

Sarah took her helmet off, and although Alanna couldn't see it, her eyes glowed as though the sun shone from within them. When she spoke, it wasn't the voice of the teenaged squire, but rather the voice of Mithros, god of war. War drums pounded with every word.

"Leave. If you continue this attack, you will be forsaking your god." Mithros appeared behind her, and the horses on both the Tortallan and Tusaine sides whinnied, their uneasiness seen on their rider's faces. When the Tusaine soldiers hesitated, he added, a command in his voice even as he spoke through Sarah. "Now." They clapped their hands to their ears, and turned around, making to flee.

No one on the Tortallan side said anything, and Sarah just stood there, possessed, until the last of the Tusaine soldiers were out of sight. The golden light left her, and she swayed. Alanna dismounted and ran towards her, even as the teenager collapsed. When she reached Sarah, Alanna quickly felt for a pulse. Relieved to find it, she called forth a stretcher, and got her charge loaded upon it. Signalling for the ranks to fall back, all of the soldiers gave her a large berth as she carried Sarah towards the tents, with the help of Raoul.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

She came to slowly, groaning. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Rolling onto her side, she clutched her head with one hand while feeling around for the glass of water she kept on her bed side table. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find that there was no bed side table, and that her eyes met the walls of the tent, rather than the stone walls of her room.

Sitting up quickly, she groaned as she lay back down. Alanna came in, worried, with a plate of food and a jug full of water.

Laying a cool hand on Sarah's head, she relieved the headache. "Better?"

Sarah nodded. Sitting up slower this time, she asked, "What happened? I don't remember anything. Was I knocked out at the start? Because that would be entirely too embarrassing, not only to me, but to my teachers too…" She trailed off as Alanna chuckled.

"No you weren't knocked out. You don't remember any of it?" Sarah shook her head. Alanna sighed, and tried to explain. "Mithros took over your body, and basically scared the wits out of all of the Tusaine soldiers, telling them that if they kept up with the attack then he'd be real angry at them."

Sarah's eyes widened. "So he possessed me." She scowled, but quickly smiled, laying back down. "Oh well, if he stopped a war then I guess I can forgive him."

Alanna grinned. "I'm sure that the god of war is glad to have your forgiveness. So very glad." She added dryly.


	5. Chapter 5

A/n. Please note that I have used Willowbark for a VERY good reason, it sets this story up for a sequel, he he he he he… also I have no idea what the adepts exam is for mage-ness… so I made it up! Lol, read… review… enjoy!

Chapter 4:

It was a few days since they had returned to Corus, and Sarah was waiting in the halls of the Royal University, awaiting the Mithran Priest to take her adept's exam. She had failed the first test by what she thought was a landslide, but had been assured by Numair that the Masters always failed the students on their first attempt.

Trying to recall his exact words, she only managed a brief paraphrasing of 'The Masters need to make sure the adepts don't get too big for their boots.' Sarah thought it was rather like her first attempt at passing her driver's test.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice the Mithran Priest waiting in the hall for her until his sandalled feet appeared in her line of sight. Jerking straight up in her seat, she stood hastily, offering a low bow to the Master. Relieved, she noticed that the master wasn't the same one from her first test. She was convinced he had it in for her.

This master was smiling, his aged face cracked in amusement. "My Lady, please, the exam room is this way. I am Master Xuan, I will be examining your skills this day."

She mustered a smile and entered the dimly lit room. Master Xuan was talking again. "As you have already taken the test once before, I assume you are familiar with the proceedings?"

Sarah nodded. "First you'll test me on the theory, and then a practical where you'll suggest three different spells, and I have to be able to do at least two of them."

The master nodded. "Correct. Are you ready to begin?"

Sarah took another look around the room, seeing different sets of herbs and gem stones on a table, as well as jars of oils and different magical talismans covering a table. She looked up at Master Xuan and nodded. He nodded slowly and stood behind the table. For the next half an hour he was gesturing to the different items on the table and quizzing her on their purposes and uses. When it came to willowbark, Sarah determinedly set her chin.

Master Zhan, the master that had previously tested her, had said that the straw that broke the camel's back was her inability to name the purposes of willowbark. Sarah spoke with absolute confidence. "That is dried willowbark. Willowbark is used as a tea to soothe headaches and fevers. It is especially useful when a healing mage isn't present, as it doesn't require a mage to activate its abilities, unlike some other herbs."

Master Xuan showed his pleasure at her descriptive answer with a slight smile. "Very well. We shall move on to the practical." He gestured to a warding circle on the floor, permanently marked there to ward a student's magic from getting out of control.

Sarah stepped over the markings and awaited Master Xuan's instructions. Moving to a small box, Master Xuan closed his eyes and dug around for a moment. Pulling three pieces of parchment out, Sarah's mouth hung open. Having not made it to the practical segment of the examinations before now, Sarah didn't realise that the selection procedure consisted of drawing the spells out of a hat.

Master Xuan turned around, and read out the contents of the parchments. "The spells you must complete are two of; invisibility, physical shielding, and self levitation."

Sarah winced. She was hopeless at levitation, she knew, since Alanna had tested her on it prior to her first attempt. That meant that she'd need to perform the first two flawlessly if she were to pass this attempt. She took a deep breath and focused inwards, to her core. Pulling out a strand of her red magic she fashioned it into what she hoped was a disguise, to bend light around her. She slowed her breathing, focusing on making herself invisibly, until Master Xuan spoke softly. "Good, very good. Now, which of the other spells will you be attempting?"

She opened her eyes. "The physical shield. Will I need to extend it over anything, or should it just remain personal?"

He looked taken aback. "You are the first student to ask. Many of them ask, or maybe hope, that it will remain personal. There is no need to extend it further than your person."

She nodded and closed her eyes once more, letting that strand of magic from before weave itself into a net. She tightened the weave of the net, reducing the space between strands. Next, she teased a second strand from her core and weaved it through the spaces in the net. Now that the holes were microscopic, she visualized the net melting, but remaining a bubble.

When there were no spaces left, just a clear, slightly red bubble of air around her, she opened her eyes, to Master Xuan holding his hand against the shield, his hand glowing light green as he tested the shield. Sarah held her breath as his face turned thoughtful. Finally, he smiled. "Very good. Very, very good, Adept Sarah. Congratulations on your new rank."

Sarah grinned and bowed deeply to the kindly master. "Thankyou, Master."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

That night, as a congratulatory dinner, King Jonathon, Queen Thayet, Alanna, George, Numair, Daine, Wildcat and Myles held a dinner in Jon's private chambers. It was there that she was told about the ball the following night. In the middle of a mouthful of salad, which now adorned the chicken breast on her plate. Face red from coughing up her food, Sarah swallowed several gulps of water before she managed, "Right, so night in tomorrow. Wanna join me, Alanna? I'm sure if I get some cardboard now I can mock up a monopoly set…" she trailed off as Alanna shook her head, laughing.

The red head sighed sorrowfully. "No, unfortunately we can't play… monopoly was it?" At Sarah's nod she continued, glaring at Jon. "Our monarch here has decided we must all come. In case you're wondering, you're included in 'we'."

Sarah scowled at her plate. "But… remember Ambassador Rolon? I was rude to him… you can't trust me at a ball…" She trailed off, realising that that tack wasn't working. Jon's face was set, and Thayet's eyes laughed.

The Queen smiled. "You have to come." Holding a hand up to forestall any objections, she added, "You have a dress to wear. Remember the one we had Lalasa make you?"

Sarah's eyes lowered, remembering the day. She swallowed and forced a playful frown on her face. Ignoring Alanna's watchful stare, she sighed. "Fine. But you better keep any conservatives off of me. Cause I've mostly stayed away from them in training… but if they start calling me a whore or something…"

Now Daine scowled. "If they start calling you a whore send 'em to me. Numair'll set them straight."

Sarah grinned. "Dude, I so don't need Numair to set those morons straight. I'm an Adept now. I got da skills!" She stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her. "What was it this time? The 'dude', or 'da'?"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah pulled at her dress, frowning at how she knew she must look. She stood next to Alanna, who looked beautiful in her amethyst, ankle length gown. Sarah felt subconscious, and scowled as a strand of hair dropped across her eyes. Folding her arms across her chest, Sarah 'hmpfed' and ignored the strand, and Alanna laughing at her.

Nodding to the herald, she waited to be introduced to the room. Taking a deep breath as the doors swung open, she glided gracefully into the large ball room, making her way towards the monarchs with Alanna by her side. Curtseying deeply, Sarah's eyes met with Thayet's, and she found that the Queen was laughing. Sarah scowled. When they were finished being introduced, they were led to their table, where Sir Raoul of Goldenpeak and Commander Buri already sat.

As soon as Sarah sat down, she sighed. "When's dinner?" She asked, soliciting a laugh from the knights and the commander at the table. Sir Keladry of Mindelan approached with Sir Nealan of Queenscove, after having been announced to the King and Queen. They took a seat across from Sarah and Alanna, and made themselves comfortable.

As the herald announced other guests' arrival, Sarah chatted happily with her friends at her table, until she saw Kel's expression at the arrival of a new guest. "What? What's the matter?"

Kel scowled. "Sir Ansil of Groten. He is the most pigheaded, conservative-"

Unfortunately, the mentioned man was walking towards his table, and passed scant metres from their table as Kel described him. Alanna noticed his face darken and signalled for Kel to stop talking, but the damage was already done. He changed course and stood at the foot of the table, a sneer on his face.

Raoul stood. He growled, "Keep walking, Groten. Keep walking."

The conservative snarled in response, "My problem is not with you, Goldenpeak. It is with that _whore_."

Sarah, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, asked innocently, "Whore? Which one? There are four women here… you need to be specific in your libel."

"It seems there is more than one at this table." His sneer turned into a smirk, as though he had said the wittiest ever known to man, and he looked her up and down.

Sarah glared at the man, feeling an intense dislike for him already. "Seen enough? Or do you want a camera, so the moment can last longer?"

A look of confusion passed across his face, and it was Sarah's turn to smirk. Sometimes it helped being the only one to know pop culture references, or anything to do with technology. When he snarled and replied, "You'd do best to stay out of this, whore." Sarah couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You think you're scary? Big tough man… all alone while he threatens a table full of knights, mages and warriors? And one particularly skilled squire, if I do say so myself…"

Kel grinned despite herself. Sarah was holding her own against one of the worst conservatives in Tortall. Ansil was responding. "You dare to insult me?"

Sarah stood, her face set. "And if I do?"

Suddenly there was a riding glove in her face. Bewildered, Sarah stared. "Um… was that supposed to hurt? Is that your nancy boy way of starting a fight, cause if it is I am _so_ game."

He ignored her as he replaced the riding glove in his pocket. "I challenge you for satisfaction. You have challenged my honour. Duel me, if you dare."

Sarah blinked. Those were the last words he expected to hear out of his mouth. "Are you joking? You want satisfaction, like more than you get when yo-"

He cut her off angrily. "Do you accept?"

Sarah shrugged, her game face on. "Sure, I'm up for it if you're up for it. Sure you can handle me?"

He sneered down his nose at her. "I'm quite sure. I'll inform His Majesty myself."

Alanna joined Sarah in standing. "No. As her knight master I don't allow it. You aren't duelling her Groten."

Sarah opened her mouth to object, but Sir Ansil of Groten beat her to it. "She has accepted. It is none of your concern."

The Lioness's face turned red as she readied to sharpen her tongue against the conservative. Before she could, he turned and strode to the dais, where the King and Queen were now seated. Seeing him bow deeply, Alanna swore, a rich, unpleasant word which Sarah had never heard before but, judging by the way Kel and Buri blushed, knew it was a bad one.

The first female knight hurried to follow, preparing her argument. When she arrived at the King's table, she set her face determinedly. "Majesty. Sarah cannot participate in any duels; she isn't a noble."

Jon smiled at Alanna, about to nod, when Duke Turromet, seated three seats down the dais, interrupted. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Lioness, but the bylaws of our government state that once someone is accepted into knight's training, unorthodox or not, they are granted the rank of nobility."

Sir Ansil of Groten's smile widened. Alanna glared daggers at Turromet, so hard that she didn't notice Sarah move up behind her until she spoke up, standing next to Alanna's ear. "Majesty, don't listen to Alanna, I'm ready for this duel. Whenever Sir Ansil wants it."

Jon watched Sarah's face carefully, while Thayet looked alarmed at the idea of her friend duelling a conservative. Finally, the King sighed. "Unfortunately, Alanna, Sarah is an adult by Tortallan law. You were there at her birthday party. The only way this duel will stop is if either Sarah or Sir Ansil of Groten steps down." His eyes hardened as he looked to Ansil. "You think it is honourable, knight, to challenge someone who has only been learning to fight for a few scant months? You had better pray you don't hurt her in any manner; she _is_ the Gods' chosen, after all."

Ansil swallowed and nodded. "Very well, Majesty. The duel is set." Turning to Sarah, he asked, barely able to keep the contempt out of his voice, "Does noon tomorrow suit you?"

Sarah shrugged. "Is that enough time for you to get your beauty sleep?"

Alanna snickered despite herself. When Ansil had left, Thayet and Alanna turned to Sarah. Feeling subconscious, she snapped, "What?"

Thayet asked quietly, "Why did you want to fight him so badly?"

Sarah started. Of all the questions they could have asked, that was the last one she expected. Trying to think of a plausible answer, Sarah sighed. "How am I going to know that I'm ready to fight whatever battle the gods want me to if I can't even beat a punk like him? I have _never_ had to fight anyone that actually wants to hurt me. I need to know what it's like to fight someone like that. The last time I tried…" She trailed off in a whisper and Alanna hugged her around the shoulder.

Thayet nodded in understanding, before standing and leading Alanna and Sarah out of the hall and down the corridors towards Sarah's room. Thayet was explaining along the way. "You'll need all the rest you can get. What a waste of a dress… you didn't even get to wear it for the entire evening."

Alanna nodded. "Just one thing, Thayet. She hasn't eaten dinner yet."

Thayet slapped a hand to her forehead. "Damn. Okay, straight to the kitchens we go." She changed directions abruptly, headed for the kitchens to beg some food off the maids. Almost conversationally, she spoke to Alanna. "You know, you go a long way to get away from a ball. I mean, setting up a duel…" She cut herself off, chuckling, as Alanna glared.

"I would endure ten balls if it meant that Groten didn't act like a total-"

Sarah grinned. "Only ten? Not eleven, twelve? Twenty?"

Alanna's glare intensified. When they reached the kitchens, they procured dinner for both Alanna and Sarah, and Thayet left them to return to the ball. When Sarah had eaten, they returned to her room, and Alanna stayed to make sure she got into bed before leaving her alone. Sarah lay awake, eyes staring at the ceiling, for hours before she drifted off, thinking about the test she was going to undertake when the sun reached its highest point the next day.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The next morning Sarah was checking and rechecking her armour, making sure the glinting, shining steel was fastened properly as Alanna fussed over her sword, making sure it was spotless. Sarah had been informed that, unlike duels while on Progress, she was going to duel with a sword.

There was a knock on the door of Sarah's room, and Wildcat let herself in. "It's time. Are you ready?"

Sarah nodded and swallowed. She grabbed a glass of water from her counter and took a deep gulp of it. Setting it down, she moved past her teachers and out the door. Making her way to the training field, she started when she saw the crowd. Stopping in her tracks, she felt Alanna put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she gently pushed her along.

Sarah entered the field and stood opposite the awaiting knight, drawing her sword as he drew his. They turned in unison and bowed deeply to the monarchs, and then to Duke Turromet, the mediator of the duel. When Duke Turromet dropped a white flag upon the field, the two duellers started circling each other, eyes never leaving their opponents.

Sarah, patient as ever, waited for Sir Ansil of Groten to make his move. She didn't have to wait long, as he leapt forward with a lunge, which she parried easily. She knew not to get cocky, though. The first attack was always a gauging measure; he wanted to see how fast she was before he got into the duel in earnest.

She replied with a short stab, a feint to draw him out, and a powerful swipe at the back of his legs. She was fully in control of the attack, prepared to stop it if he couldn't stop her. She needn't worry, however, as he blocked the attack and responded with an artful cut at her arm. It almost connected, and Sarah gritted her teeth. They were fighting to first blood, and it was almost over much too soon for her tastes.

She gathered herself and regrouped, aware of the crowd's response to her close call, and knowing what Wildcat would be thinking right now. So far, she had probably incurred about three hundred laps around the training fields. Sarah released a long breath, eyeing Ansil of Groten as he watched her carefully, waiting for an opening, for her to lower her guard enough for him to get an effective attack in.

She resolved to not give Wildcat another reason to give her laps and leapt forward, this time on the offensive, as she swung a wide, powerful strike at him. When he parried that she replied with a smooth lunge, keeping her guard up. She continued the attacks, forcing him back one step, two. The fight continued like that for a few moments, Sarah gaining ground while Sir Ansil fought her off.

In one fluid movement she snaked her sword around his own and disarmed him, pressing her sword against the base of his throat. "Yield." She said, her voice dangerously low.

When he didn't respond, she pressed it harder against his throat. "I don't like to repeat myself. _Yield_."

He glared at her as he muttered, "I yield."

She smirked. "Louder. They didn't hear you."

His glare intensified as he cleared his throat. Louder, he repeated, "I yield."

She removed her sword and re-sheathed it. Turning to King Jon, she bowed deeply. She repeated the gesture in the direction of Duke Turromet. Turning back to Groten, she cocked her head. "Do I get anything for beating you?"

He glowered. "You are due a standard fine of ten gold nobles. It will be delivered by the day's end."

She grinned. "Cool."

She strode to her awaiting teachers. Turning to Wildcat, she held up a hand, forestalling any comments on her form. "I know I misstepped a half a dozen times. Can I run my laps later or do I have to start now with all of these people watching?"

Wildcat startled her with a laugh. "I only counted five missteps. Don't worry about them. You can run them tomorrow morning, during our training session."

Sarah's grin widened as she turned to Alanna. "So… how'd I do?"

The knight scowled and pulled her into a tight hug. Numair and Daine made their way over, to congratulate her on her victory. Before she had a chance to reply there was a deafening _crack_ and Mithros stood before them, a slight frown creasing his face.

Sarah's face fell. "Great, the joy kill is here. You know, it's about time you showed up for a progress report. It's only been, what, five and a half months?"

He held himself aloof. "We were watching you. I felt no need to show my presence; you were progressing acceptably."

She started. "Thanks… I think…" Her face turned serious. "How's my family?"

He glared at her. "That is not important right now." Ignoring her downtrodden expression, he continued. "Time is running out. You will enter the Chamber of the Ordeal. We need to be sure you are ready for what you will face when you start your mission."

Sarah backed up, pale. "I'm not ready for the Chamber. I know what happens to people when they enter the Chamber unprepared. They _die_."

Another crack, and the Great Mother Goddess stood before her. "My dear, the Chamber is a state of mind. If you fail it is because you didn't believe in yourself."

Sarah shook her head stubbornly. "So what you're saying is that if, say, Riley entered the Chamber right now, if he truly believed himself to be ready for it, he'd come out a knight? Not bloody likely. If I go in there, I _will_ die. Then what will happen to all those people I'm meant to save?!"

The Great Mother Goddess' voice took on the quality of wolves howling, and her face became strict even as Sarah clapped her hands to her ears. "There is no time for self doubt. You must pass the Chamber of the Ordeal."

Alanna opened her mouth to argue, but shut it when she remembered who she was speaking to. Sarah, however, had no inhibitions about talking back to the gods, and argued, "I'm not a Shang! I'm only an adept, not a full mage! I thought you said I needed to become those and a knight to do your mission."

Mithros scowled. "The prophecy my brother made said that the Gods' Messenger was to _train_ as a knight, mage and a Shang. There was no mention in the prophecy of you actually _becoming_ those things."

Sarah looked confused. "Then why am I going into the Chamber?"

Mithros replied, his patience ever so thin. "The Chamber of the Ordeal is designed to test whoever should enter. If you are not ready, and you enter the Chamber, you may _not_ die. If you are not ready, and you go on the mission, you _will_ die."

She swallowed and nodded. "O-okay… so what's involved in preparing for the Chamber of the Ordeal?"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah sat in the cold bath, that smelled heavily of herbs and oils. She entertained herself in deciphering the melange of cleansing materials. _Hmmm…_she thought. _Is that vervain?_ She didn't answer herself as Alanna and Kel entered the room, toting a large book. Opening the volume to a page somewhere around the middle, Alanna cleared her throat, glancing up at Sarah before quoting the entire Code of Chivalry, taking it in turns.

Sarah stood and dressed quickly in the white clothes that were ordained by the rites of the Ordeal. The clothes itched against her wet skin. Alanna and Kel led her towards the entrance to the building containing the Chamber of the Ordeal. Alanna stopped her at the entrance, her face very serious.

"Do you understand, once you enter, you can't make a sound until the door of the Chamber opens tomorrow morning?"

Sarah swallowed and nodded. "Look… guys… thanks. For everything. I'll see you in the morning."

Alanna nodded, and Kel gave her a tight hug. When she released her, Alanna pulled her into a bone crushing hug, whispering, "Good luck." In her ear. After she released her, she added in a louder voice, "While you're waiting, you're supposed to meditate on your journey to this point… yours is a little shorter than most Squires…" She tried for a grin, and failed miserably.

Sarah gave her a pat on the shoulder and nodded to Kel, before taking a deep breath and entering the room.

She sat on a stone bench in the centre of the room, wincing at how hard and uncomfortable the bench was. She closed her eyes, and thought about what had happened in the last six months. She had trained so hard, for so long, every day, but never had it crossed her mind that she would have to take this trial this soon.

Sarah opened her eyes when she felt the hand of the Mithran priest on her shoulder. He gestured towards the door and she nodded, standing. She winced as her knees cracked and her leg muscles screamed from under use.

The Mithran priest opened the large, wooden doors that sealed the Chamber. Sarah stood at the threshold, and swallowed. She took a deep breath before entering the Chamber, glancing around haphazardly. The room remained a stone chamber, and Sarah frowned in confusion.

It remained the same for a few moments longer, lulling Sarah into a false sense of security. That was, until the trial began, and Sarah fought not to scream.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:

Sarah looked around, confused. How was she in her car, driving along with her mother, little brother and…Sarah bit her lip to stop herself from gasping. There was her older sister, Tarni, sitting there humming.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. If this is what the Chamber would use to break her, then the Chamber would be disappointed. Sarah gripped the seat of her chair, ignoring her thirteen year old sister's rambling about the cute boys at high school. She wondered briefly whether her terror showed on her eleven year old face.

Finally the fateful stretch of road approached. Sarah closed her eyes, determined not to watch, but she couldn't drown out the sound of screeching tyres, the sound of her mother's scream, and her sister's silence.

Sarah kept her eyes closed, even as the ambulance came and lifted her, her mother and her brother out, like before. She kept her eyes shut against the sight of them lifting Tarni's beaten and broken body. She covered her ears against the sound of a zipper being zipped up, but she opened her eyes once again, just in time to see the body bag being lifted into the coroner's van.

She hopped off of the stretcher, ignoring the scream of her leg, knowing it was just a figment of her imagination, and set her face. She ignored the figment of her mother calling to her. She ignored the figment of her little brother, Johnathon, as he screamed for Tarni. She shrugged off the hands of the paramedics as the tried to force her back to the ambulance, and kept walking, past the scene of the accident. Past all the worried onlookers.

She kept walking until the scenery changed, and she found herself in her old house, the one they had lived in when she was thirteen. Sarah gritted her teeth. She knew what was coming next.

"I'm leaving. I can't handle this anymore! You all pretend like nothing happened… Tarni _died_ that night. And John…" Her father bustled into the living room, and her mother followed, tears streaming down her face. They both glanced at Sarah's brother, who sat in front of the X Box, ignoring the argument that happened nearly every week. Sarah knew something he didn't… this argument would be the last.

Beyond her best judgement, she felt herself walking over to her little brother. She lay a hand on his shoulder, as support, as he looked up at her from his glinting silver wheelchair. Sarah gave him a brave grin, but remembered not to make a sound.

She ignored the argument, sitting down on the couch and watching John's car skidding around the corner, avoiding the police. She had an urge to comment on his six warrant stars, but ignored it. Grand Theft Auto was a fun game, but not worthy being punished for speaking over.

She closed her eyes as the door slammed shut, and ignored her mother's whisper of "He'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry kids." Sarah knew he wouldn't. Sarah knew that the next day her mother would be served with divorce papers.

When she opened her eyes the scenery had changed once again. Sarah rolled her eyes. If she was where and when she thought she was, it was a swing and a miss for the Chamber. Sure, this particular memory hurt, but it wasn't anywhere near on par with the last two. This was the moment she went from one of the most popular girls in school to Public Enemy Number One.

Sarah thought about it for a moment, wondering where the Chamber was going with this. Sarah didn't look upon this event as though it was a mistake in her life; rather she thought it was a turning point in her life that she would repeat, if necessary. It was only two years ago, but it had changed her life tremendously.

Rolling her eyes, she walked towards her 'posse' hands in her pockets, eyes narrowed. If she were to continue in this trial, she needed to get through whatever the Chamber had to throw at her. No point in dawdling.

When she reached Mitchell, she knocked the lit pipe out of his hands. The crack in his hands also went flying, and he stared at it in shock, before scrambling to pick it all up. "What the hell is your problem?!"

She didn't answer, just watched, eyes fiery. Some part of her hoped that it would go differently this time. Mitchell shoved her, hard, snarling, "What? Too good to speak to your old buddy? Too good for us all are you? Jess doesn't mind it. She's in on it. Why aren't you, huh?"

Sarah's eyes flared, but she kept her mouth shut. He shoved her again, with enough force to send her sprawling. Sarah scrambled to her feet, staring at what had become of her boy friend. She shook her head and turned to walk away, but he spun her around. "Come on baby, I'm sorry. Give us a kiss." He planted a sloppy kiss on her mouth, and she grimaced. She shook her head, turned around again, walking faster. She heard him yelling, "Everyone's gonna hear about this. See how many friends you have tomorrow!"

Sarah shook her head. The scenery changed again, but she didn't recognize it this time. She turned around in confusion, unsure of where she was. Looking at her surroundings, she realised she was in an alley. Eyes narrowing, she wondered what the Chamber would throw at her this time. She spotted a leg sticking out from the other side of a dumpster. Sarah ran towards the leg, and followed it up the body to a face. It was Mitchell. Sarah let out a long breath. This had never happened. Reaching for his neck to feel for a pulse, she stopped when he started talking.

"It's your fault I'm dead. You never told me what drugs can do. Why didn't you talk to me, why didn't you try to help?" His eyes remained closed, and his face pale.

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, her hand moving the rest of the way to confirm that he was, in fact, dead. "…" _No. This is just another trick of the Chamber. I _won't _be fooled._ She closed her mouth, shaking her head. Standing, she walked away from the body of her ex boyfriend, ignoring his pleas and making her way down the alley. Suddenly, his body appeared in front of her, and she turned around to avoid it. It was in front of her again.

_I am _not_ amused._ She thought with all her might towards the Chamber. She heard a disembodied laugh, before the scenery changed again.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Alanna paced backwards and forwards, her face steely as she thought about Sarah in the Chamber of the Ordeal. She ignored Neal's pleas for her to stop because she was making her dizzy, and glanced at the room's other occupants from time to time. Kel, Numair, Daine, Wildcat, Myles, Thayet, Jon and George were all crammed into Alanna's rooms, worried about their friend.

For the seventh time in as many minutes, Alanna opened her mouth to speak of the injustice of the situation, but closed it again, preferring to fume silently. Thayet, however, had no such qualms. "She's strong, but it's only been five months! How can anyone think she'll be ready now, when it takes eight _years_ for others?"

Jon rubbed her back absently, staring at the floor, wondering what would become of his kingdom if she didn't survive; if she wasn't able to go on the mission. They all started at a knock at the door. Raoul and Buri stood there with a plate full of rolls. "Room for two more? We brought food…" The lanky knight looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, and Alanna nodded his admission.

Suddenly, Wildcat, who had been sitting quietly for the entire evening, spoke up. "She'll do alright. She's handled everything else that's been thrown at her. Look at how well she's transitioned into life here. She'll handle this."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

She was in a training field, and Wildcat was swinging a fist at her. The transition was so sudden, so unexpected, that the fist hit her square on the jaw and spun her around, sending her heavily to the ground. The Shang growled. "Get up! You're useless! How am I meant to train you when you can't even block a simple hit!"

Sarah gritted her teeth. _Playing on my fear of inadequacy, are you?_ She thought at the Chamber. It didn't respond this time. Sarah set her feet into a fighting position, and raised her hands up to guard. She prepared for Wildcat to throw the next attack at her.

When she did, Sarah moved to block it, and was startled when her arm moved slowly, much to slowly, and the roundhouse kick hit her in the ribs, cracking two of them. Wildcat was ranting again. Sarah looked up, shocked, as her trusted teacher tried to stomp on her stomach. She rolled out of the way, but wasn't quite quick enough, earning a jarring pain in her gut. Still she made not a sound.

Getting hastily to her feet, Sarah grimaced and held her chest. She watched the image of her teacher wordlessly, warily. She knew that Wildcat would never do anything like this, but that didn't change the fact that this figment was very dangerous. _Too afraid to sick your figment on me when I'm at full speed?_

She was shocked to receive a reply. _Not at all.__ Have at her then._

Sarah gritted her teeth. _Fine._ She threw a quick punch at the figment, spinning into a back kick that was set to break ribs. When the figment blocked the hits, Sarah threw a quick jumping round house kick, followed by a crescent kick that dropped the figment like a stone. The Chamber's laugh echoed throughout her skull.

The scenery changed once again and Sarah held back a gasp. She was in the alley from a few months back, and there was the man, pushing her up against the wall, his breath smelling of whiskey. "Come on, luv, how much for an hour?"

Sarah grabbed his hands to stop them from wandering, and kneed him in the family jewels. He fell to his knees, groaning, and she tried to force her way past him. He grabbed her foot and the breath left her in a rush as she landed heavily on the ground. Laying there, winded, her eyes widened as he crawled on top of her. "You'll pay for that, bitch."

Sarah craned her head, looking for Alanna and Thayet in the mouth of the alley. She couldn't see them. Part of the building wall turned transparent, and she saw them a little way down, bartering with a stall owner. Sarah struggled with the man who was suddenly so much stronger than she was as her eyes widened. No one was coming for her this time.

She struggled, still not making a sound. Even as he kissed her roughly, Sarah's eyes clouded with tears. _This is it. This is the end… No. It is _not _the end. It will _not_ end like this._ Sarah's hands started glowing a bright red. She grabbed the man roughly by the shoulder, and his shirt started smoking. Her eyes sparked as his widened in fear. She planted a foot on his chest and threw him over her head, towards the mouth of the alley. Sarah stood, her hands smoking. As the man tried to stand, her anger flared, and so did her hands. They flared with bright red flames, and she set her hands in fists, flames licking at the sweat soaked white sleeves of her shirt, but leaving it unharmed.

Suddenly the scenery changed again. _Interesting._ The disembodied voice of the Chamber murmured.

Now she was on the field of battle, but instead of Mithros interfering, her horse was charging towards battle with her atop it, Alanna riding next to her, her sword flashing in the sunlight. Sarah yanked out her own and gulped. Before she knew it the front lines clashed, and she was amidst the flow of battle, parrying the attacks of the Tusaine soldiers.

Her shoulder burned, and she looked down to see an arrow shaft sticking out of it. Her eyes widened, and in her moment of distraction, another soldier seared her thigh with the strike of his sword. Sarah gritted her teeth as she felt herself falling from the horse.

As she landed, the scenery changed. She was standing again, the injuries gone, leaving scars and a walking stick in their wake. She hobbled along the streets of Corus, barely recognizing the scenery. Buildings had been left to ruin, the Dancing Dove's sign hanging by a single hinge. There were fires along the road, and homeless people hovered over them, hands held out to the warmth of the flames, even as they looked on disinterestedly as she hobbled along.

She spied the once great sight of the palace, and was shocked to see half of it collapsed. Her eyes were wide and her breathing ragged. _Is this-_

_This is what shall become of Corus if you should fail your mission._ The Chamber's eery voice again. _War ravaged. Your King couldn't hold his kingdom together. Not after you were left crippled and unable to fight the Gods' battle._

Sarah shook her head. _No. This can't be happening._ Some of the homeless people noticed her, and these ones weren't as benevolent as before. "Hey, there she is! She's the reason all of this happened!"

Sarah backed up, hands held up to placate the mob. They kept coming, picking up pieces of wood as clubs, or throwing large stones. She dodged the first few, but she was so shocked that she couldn't move fast enough to block them all. A stone hit her on the head, leaving her stunned as she fell to the ground. She scrambled to stand even as the mob swarmed her.

Clubs swung at her ribs, stones pelted at her body. Even as they striked she didn't cry out. She tried to fend off the attacks, but it was just too much for her. The pain became almost unbearable. Suddenly the attacks stopped. She fell to her knees even as the scenery returned to the stone walls of the Chamber. Sarah held herself up with her hands, on all fours, as she panted. A crack and there was Mithros. Ignoring the god, she thought, _If__ this is another test, I'm not going to be able to take it. The Chamber will break me._

The disembodied voice of the Chamber spoke again, this time to the god. _She is read to face your challenge._ Mithros nodded and left the Chamber.

The doors to the Chamber opened. Alanna's breath caught as she saw Sarah kneeling there, eyes closed, panting and grey from exhaustion. Her face was covered in bruises, and from what they could see of the rest of her body, so was her chest, abdomen, back and legs. She swayed, even on her knees, and they all stood, shocked to see their normally exuberant friend so far gone.

Sarah's eyes crept open. She spied the Chamber doors opened and she fought her way to her feet. Placing one foot in front of the other, she staggered and nearly fell several times on her way to her freedom.

Wildcat and Alanna stood at the threshold, ready to catch her when she exited the room. When she finally managed to cross the threshold, Sarah collapsed, eyes closed, even as her two teachers caught her on either side.

Alanna was startled when Sarah opened her mouth and mumbled, half delirious, "Can I scream yet?" The older knight gritted her teeth and rubbed her shoulder, taking care to avoid the many welts and injuries that adorned her body. They set about carrying her to her rooms.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah awoke briefly, three hours after being laid to bed, and ate quickly before falling back asleep. Alanna sat with her the entire time. There was a ball set for that evening, as was customary for knights awaiting knighting. Mithros had informed them that she had passed the Ordeal, and just required rest to recuperate.

As she slept, Sarah tossed and turned, biting her lip to keep from crying out. Her subconscious mind reverted to the conditions of the Chamber, and was trying to keep her quiet. For what felt like the twentieth time, Alanna soothed her as she slept.

Wildcat sat with them for a few hours, before leaving for the Page's lessons. Kel sat with them for lunch, watching Sarah carefully as the younger girl ate quietly, not saying a word to either of them.

The others all visited at one stage, until Sarah finally awoke at sunset. Thayet was visiting when she woke, and sent a footman to pick up her dress, deciding to get ready for the ball in Sarah's quarters.

Sarah sat for a while on her bed, barely speaking two words to her teacher and friend, and now fellow Knight, or to the Queen, who watched her, concerned.

When it was time to get ready Sarah stood slowly and moved to her wardrobe, where the gown from the previous ball hung. Ignoring the gown, Sarah took out a pair of nice breeches and a tunic top made of silk and laid them over the screen as she stripped behind it, standing in her bathing tub and scrubbing all of the dried blood, dirt and grit off of her skin, using some hot water that Thayet had thoughtfully ordered. When she was clean, she ran a wet comb through her hair, trying to get rid of at least _some_ of the sweat that matted her otherwise straight hair. When she was finished she dried herself off, and dressed quickly in her clothes.

Stepping out from behind the curtain, she shuffled over to the mirror, and focused on her face. A bruise adorned her eye, and her bottom lip was split. She sighed and reached for the face paint, determined to hide the effects of her sojourn into the Chamber. Alanna walked over and took the applicating brush from her trembling fingers wiped off the face paint. Quietly, Alanna spoke. "I haven't told you this, but congratulations. No one, myself included, believed you would survive the Chamber of the Ordeal. You've taught us all a lesson about doubting you."

Sarah felt tears well up in her eyes, and she turned away from the Knight, hugging herself around the chest. "Thankyou, Alanna. You don't know how much that means to me."

The Knight turned her around gently, and Thayet took up combing her hair, somehow finished dressing, doing her own hair _and_ doing her own makeup before either Sarah or Alanna.

Alanna gently touched her bruised eye, purple magic flaring as she called upon it to heal her injury. She had dealt with the cracked ribs and gashes earlier, but saved her energy rather than fix the little things.

Next she dealt with the split lip, leaving Sarah's face uninjured, but still remarkably pale. Thayet finished with her hair, securing it with a hair tie, and slipping a frangipani above her ear. Thayet surveyed her with pursed lips, and finally nodded. "You look stunning."

Sarah grinned halfheartedly. "I do not. But thanks. Shall we? I don't suppose it would bode well, me being late for my own knighting."

Alanna grinned. "No, it really wouldn't."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Jon tapped the sword gently against Sarah's shoulders, first the left then the right shoulder. A gentle smile betrayed his solemn face as he gestured for her to stand. "Congratulations." He whispered to her, even as she turned to Alanna, Thayet, Kel and Wildcat, who were standing to the side of the dais, something held between them covered in fabric.

They all shared a large grin as they unveiled a shield with a line running diagonally from each corner, bordered by what looked like silver. Sarah gasped and walked forward, eyes on the dazzling shield. She looked up with questioning eyes. "When did you guys get this made? How did you have the time?"

"We had it commissioned as soon as you arrived. We knew you probably wouldn't take the full eight years…"

Sarah grinned. "Thankyou all so much."

Thayet gave her a gentle shove. "Show everyone your new shield. Go on." Sarah turned around and waved her shield for the crowd, smiling at their applause.

A/n. A little shorter than last time, but hey, I figured this was a good place to end it. Next chapter: the mission. Dun dun dun…..


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 6

A/n. Unfortunately there isn't much information about what the Great Gods do, except Great Mother Goddess, Mithros, the Black God and Gainel, so I made up what Mynoss is a god of. He is now a smith god. Good for him! Oh well. The long awaited chapter of the couple of people who have reviewed is here!

Miraculously, Mithros didn't appear and demand she leave that very instant. No, she had at least three days of rest, which she took full advantage of. She had slept in for the first time in half a year, and when she walked around she whistled a jaunty tune. Sarah refused to think about what would come next but, of course, the Great Gods weren't about to let her relax for very long.

Mithros and the Great Mother Goddess showed up on the third day after she had exited the Chamber of the Ordeal, and Sarah blew out a gusty sigh. Sarcastically, she asked, "What took you so long? I thought this was urgent."

Mithros snapped back, "We couldn't very well send you unrested. Or were you fresh for the mission from the moment you left the Chamber?"

Sarah shrugged uncomfortably. "Alright, I'll shut up."

Mithros looked to the sky. "Thankyou Mother, thankyou Father."

Sarah glared but the Great Mother Goddess smiled in amusement. The glowing woman caught Sarah's attention by passing her what looked like a piece of amber. It was slightly spherical, and bound to a leather thong. Sarah frowned in confusion. "What's this?"

"Have you seen a coal hanging around Alanna's neck?" Sarah nodded. "It allows her to see magic. This will allow you to see magic also."

Sarah nodded, a grin spreading over her face. "Plus, it's pretty." Great Mother chuckled. Sarah continued, her face serious now. "So, what's the mission?"

The Great Gods looked at each other, before Mithros finally spoke. "You need to deal with a problem of ours. Do you remember what I showed you?"

Sarah shuddered and nodded. "It's only been plaguing my dreams for the entire time I've been here…"

He nodded and continued. "Those deaths were caused by creatures known as the Three Sorrows. Some call them the Three Horrors. When they are released, they reek havoc, causing wars, and killing people. They are Malady, the rat, Starvation, the cur, and Slaughter, the hyena."

Sarah interrupted. "Let me guess, Starvation starves people, Slaughter causes wars and kills people, and… Malady means what exactly?"

Mithros looked annoyed at her interruption. "Sickness. Malady causes sickness. May I continue?" She nodded. "Thankyou ever so much. The Three Sorrows are out; generally there is only one out at a time. When the Three Sorrows are out together… the effects are devastating to the Mortal Realms, and the Peaceful Realms. You will find the Sorrows, and bind them by creating a Gate of Idramm."

Sarah frowned. "A Gate of Idramm shouldn't be able to hold creatures like that…"

Mithros' voice was very patient, as though speaking to a three year old. "It will be able to bind them when you draw it with the dagger of Shakith." At Sarah's blank expression, he sighed. "Later."

Sarah frowned, confused. "So just how am I expected to bind these three if you lot can't?"

The Great Mother Goddess replied uneasily. "It is not that we can't. It's that the prophecies state that _you_ must."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Mithros flapped a hand at her, silencing her. "We will explain that if you survive the Three Sorrows. Until then, don't worry about it."

Sarah glared. "Oh. _If_ I survive. _If_ I survive a mission that both you and your brothers and sisters could do yourself if you _wanted_ to. Instead you send a mortal to do your dirty work."

The Great Mother spoke up. "You will have help. We will provide you with weapons that will hurt these beasts. Mortal weapons won't. How you use them is up to you."

Sarah sighed. She muttered under her breath. "Soo much better." She spoke up, a more conversational tone. "So, hand 'em over then."

A bundle appeared, and Mithros opened it up, passing the items over one at a time. "A war hammer, from the god Mynoss, God of Smiths. A long bow, quiver of arrows, and a staff courtesy of Weiryn the Hunter. A dagger, with the crystal of a seer embedded in the hilt, given by the God of Seers, Shakith. And finally, a sword and shield, from myself."

Sarah's eyes roamed over the stack as her mouth hung open. She half grinned as she ran her hand over the sword, and noticed that all of the weapons shone with a faint hint of golden light. Sarah bundled them up again and looked into the Goddess' eyes. "Can I have a few moments before we leave? I need to say good bye…"

She nodded with a gentle smile, and Sarah set off up to the castle, looking for the people who had supported her for the last six months. She found most of them gathered in the Barracks, eating their lunches. Asking them to meet her outside by the training fields, she went in search of Myles and the monarchs, having not found them in the barracks. After asking the older knight to meet her outside, she ran into a small figure in the halls.

Surprised, she steadied the young page while looking him over. "Riley!"

He gave a shy grin. "Hi Sarah. How are you?"

She crouched to his level and gave a little laugh. "You answer first. Has anyone been hassling you?"

He shook his head hesitantly, and Sarah frowned. "You know, I don't get this Code of Chivalry rubbish. Next time Brad attacks you, go see a teacher. I'd help but… Riley, do you remember why I'm here?"

He nodded. "The Gods brought you here to do something for them."

Sarah smiled gently. "And now I'm on my way to do it for them. So, I want you to work really hard on your training, and I'll hopefully see you when I'm done."

He looked fearful. "What if-"

She cut him off with a stern look. "No what ifs. I'll be back. I still have to see you become a squire and a knight, remember?" He nodded and grinned. She held out a hand for him to shake. "It was an honour to meet you, Riley."

"Like wise." He squeaked.

She set off in search of the monarchs, and when she had found them gathered around the training field. She looked upon her friend's faces. She opened her mouth several times, trying to think of something suitable to say.

She started with Neal. "I didn't get to know you very well, but I'm glad I met you." She shook his hand and leant in to whisper in his ear, "If you hurt Kel then Alanna won't be the only Lady Knight to come after you." She grinned cheekily as he gulped.

Turning to Kel next, she hugged her tightly and said quietly. "If he hurts you, let me know. I'll set him straight."

The Lady Knight chuckled and hugged her back. "Good luck."

Sarah turned to the King. "Thankyou for everything. For the room, for the food, for the training… Just, thanks." She shook his hand as he smiled.

"We'll see you again. Come back to us, Lady Knight." Jon replied.

She nodded and turned to Raoul and Buri. "So, set the date yet?"

Raoul blushed as Buri cackled. "Not yet. Good luck with your mission."

Sarah stepped forward and hugged them both. "Set a date soon. I'll be there with bells on."

Raoul laughed. "Interesting fashion statement, bells." He looked her over. "As a knight of Tortall now, you have to do as Jon says. He told you to come back. Make sure you do. I still need to teach you how to tilt properly."

She grinned a watery smile, the goodbyes getting to her. Looking around she spied Myles. "Thanks for… well thanks for being there. It means a lot to me." He nodded and wrapped her in a hug.

Turning to Daine and Numair, she asked, "When's it due again?"

Daine grinned. "Seven and a half months."

Sarah nodded, grinning. Giving Numair a playful shove, she added. "Gee, poor kid. Let me guess, you already have their education planned out for it?"

He looked slightly miffed before grinning. "Yes, I do." Sarah laughed quietly and hugged them both, and thanked them. Numair looked concerned, and wrote down a few words to use if she ran into trouble on a spare bit of parchment.

She turned to Thayet, looking uncertain. "You were there for me when that man tried… you were there for me. Thankyou, you've been a great friend." Tears filled the Queen's eyes and Sarah felt her own overflow. She hugged her tightly. "Thankyou." She whispered once again in her friend's ear.

Thayet reluctantly released her friend. "Do as Jon says." Sarah nodded.

Next was Wildcat. Sarah regarded her at arms length. "You didn't want to train me. You didn't want to have anything to do with a Gifted adult who hadn't had any training before. I'm glad you changed your mind."

The Shang Master stepped forward to hug her tightly. "So am I. I know you'll come back to us." She handed her a pack full of supplies, which Sarah slung over her shoulder.

Finally, she turned to Alanna. "Thankyou. You've been here for me from the very beginning, even when I was cowering on the floor in my nightgown after falling through the ceiling." She hugged the Knight tightly. "Say good bye to George for me."

Alanna hugged her back, ignoring the tears that streamed from her eyes. "Remember what I said when you woke up after the Chamber? I'll never doubt you again. Come back to us."

Sarah nodded and looked around. All of the women were crying, and she was detachedly amused to notice that the men's eyes were all moist too. Turning to them all, she said once again, "Thankyou. I won't let you down."

Attaching her new weapons to her person in one way or another, Sarah turned to Mithros and the Great Mother Goddess. "How am I getting there?"

As Mithros looked at her the world spun, and Sarah closed her eyes against the sensation of dizziness that threatened to overcome her. Before she knew it, she was standing in a field full of dying crops, with a large, snow peaked mountain looming above her. Mithros' voice told her quietly. "You'll need to go the rest of the way by yourself. Up to the summit."

Sarah nodded and readjusted her pack. She headed towards the base, pushing through the dead wheat crops. When she reached the base, set upon the long trek, using her staff to secure her footing when the way was treacherous. On the way she encountered a sheer rock face that stretched around the side of the mountain. Sarah wasted precious time scaling the twenty metre face, and when she reached the miniature plateau at the top of the rock face sat for a moment, watching as an eagle circled lazily. _It seems someone can still find food around here._ Sarah thought as she tore into some bread rolls that Wildcat had packed for her.

When she had finished the rolls Sarah guzzled half a water skin, aware she had another two in the pack that she could drink. When she was done she placed a hand on the amber stone the Goddess had given her. Seeing inky shadows surrounding the area, and the slope getting darker and darker the higher it got, Sarah shuddered and stood, making to continue on her trek.

Sarah steeled herself to clear the last rocky outcrop before the summit, and tightened her grip on her sword, readjusting the shield on her left arm. She took a deep, steadying breath and peered over the outcrop. What she saw shocked her.

The summit of the mountain looked as though it was an extinct volcano; it curved inwards to a deep pit, covered in a black ash. The walls were sheer, and Sarah didn't know whether she would be able to climb back up them if she climbed down. But that wasn't what shocked her.

There were the Three Sorrows, sitting in the middle of the crater, lazing like a lizard on a warm rock. The black spots marred the hyena's otherwise dirty brown fur, and blood dripped from it's nuzzle. It was ghostly in appearance, and it gnawed on a large bone that also had a ghostly quality to it.

The cur dog was as mangy as it was under fed, it's bones showing through it's fur. In manner of fact, it was little more than a fur covered skeleton, it's matted yellow fur sticking out in all directions, coated in blood and grime. It shared a ghostly manner with it's sibling Sorrows.

The rat was also slightly transparent and covered in blood, it's fur an ugly brown. It's pink tail squirmed like a worm on a hook, and Sarah shuddered. Now was not the time to think about her intense dislike of mice and rats. It's teeth were yellow, and it foamed at the mouth. _Rabies._Sarah thought to herself.

There was one more feature that made them especially frightening, one that Mithros had declined to include in his description of the beasts. Malady, the shortest of the three, reached Sarah's shoulders in height when it rested on all fours, and much, _much_ taller when it raised itself upon two legs.

Sarah let out a frightened gasp, shocked at what she saw, and unwittingly drew attention to her presence. Slaughter let out a whining laugh, trademark of its species, which sent chills down her spine. Whipping out her already strung bow, Sarah sent an arrow whistling at the hyena.

Not waiting to see whether her arrow connected, Sarah quickly leapt over the rim of the crater and slid down the walls as fast as possible, replacing the bow and quiver with her sword and shield as she skidded to a stop. The Sorrows looked at her, seemingly curious about the mortal that dared to challenge them. She advanced slowly, watching them carefully, waiting for one of them to spring an attack.

She didn't have to wait long, as Malady grew impatient and leapt at her. Sarah swung her sword in a downward sweep, cutting the ghostly apparition in two. The left half of the rat passed through her, and where the gas-like spectre touched her skin it burned. Sarah's vision blurred and she staggered away, dimly aware of the blur that was the rat reforming. Her skin burned as though she had a fever, and she coughed and hacked painfully.

Sarah dug her sword into the soil, leaning on it heavily for support as she shook her head to clear it. The world spun, and Sarah reeled, hoping it wasn't all over before it had begun. When the world stopped spinning, she checked the positions of the Sorrows, and was dismayed to notice they were circling her, their eyes amused.

She tossed her head from side to side, trying to follow the movements of all three at the same time, and almost missed Slaughter leaping at her. She dove out of the way, aware that if she let any of its body touch her she was in for a world of pain. She hid behind the shield that Mithros had given her as Starvation took a shot at her, but its essence slipped around the edges like an oily liquid, and she only managed to partially avoid it.

When held her chest as another coughing fit hit and felt her ribs sticking out, Sarah knew she had to begin the Gate of Idramm soon.

The hyena laughed, and the Three Sorrows continued circling her, even as she hurriedly resheathed her sword and started drawing symbols in the dirt. She kept an eye on them as they stalked her, drawing from feel rather than sight. Twice she was interrupted by coughing fits, and on the second attack she heard something crack as the familiar pain of a broken rib tore through her chest. Sarah gritted her teeth and continued, not liking the fact that they weren't attacking her.

When she had finished the Gate she started chanting the incantation to activate it, eyes never leaving the Sorrows, who had gathered in front of her, to watch in amusement. As she was approaching the final words of the spell, Malady blew a gentle wind towards her, destroying the symbols and sending her teetering on the edge of consciousness. As the world spun and her vision grew dark around the edges, she heard the tittering laugh of the cur dog, and the howl of the hyena. The rat squeaked in amusement, even as she gritted her teeth and mustered all of her strength into a physical shield, the same kind she performed on her Adept's exam. She had no idea how well it would work if they tried to directly attack her, but she knew it would stop any sudden gusts of wind from ruining her work.

As she hastily redid her work, she continually coughed, hearing another two cracks as more of her ribs broke. As she started chanting again, she kept an eye wearily on the Three Sorrows as she approached the final verse. Slaughter leapt at her again, and this time she was too slow to avoid it. He ripped through her shield as though it were a wet paper bag. Having just a few lines to finish, she struggled desperately. His howl was deafening in her ear, even as his claws raked agony across her chest, legs, arms and face. Gasping, she struggled for air as the creature pawed at her chest. Screaming in Old Thak, she bit out the last line of the verse, and relaxed as the weight of Slaughter's paw left her body.

Their screams echoed in her ear as the wind whipped around her and a portal opened within the Gate of Idramm. Somehow Sarah wasn't being drawn into the portal, but she was too tired to ponder the issue, even as she watched as the Three Sorrows were pulled into the swirling vortex of energy.

As the portal closed, Sarah let out a long, stuttered breath. She felt the warm blood seeping through her clothes, and she let out another cough. Sarah gave into temptation and closed her eyes, the world growing dim as her ragged breathing filled her ears.

Mithros watched as the events unfolded. When Sarah had finally managed to contain the Sorrows, he turned to the Black God. "Will you take her, brother?"

His voice filtered out from beneath his hood. "No, brother. She has earned the right to live on, at least for the time."

The Goddess of women and horses nodded, and moved to the young woman, who lay breathing in harsh, stuttered breaths. Her hands moved gently over the woman's injuries. Resting them upon her chest, she healed the sickness that plagued her. When she was finished she gathered the mortal in her pearlescent arms and transported her back to a place where she could feel safe.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The sunlight filtered softly onto her scarred skin. She moaned a little, caught up in dreams of worse times past. As she stirred, Alanna stroked her hair slowly, comfortingly. The fresh scars were pink against her pale skin, and she was more or less skin and bones. Alanna was confused as to how this could have happened; she had only been gone for a day. The young woman moaned again.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Alanna sighed wearily and stood. She hadn't eaten all day, and as a healer she knew the importance of proper nutrition. _Maybe I'll try to force some more soup down her throat while I'm at it._

"Two weeks…" Alanna muttered out loud. "She's been like this for two weeks…"

A moan escaped her dry, parched throat. It soon turned into a hacking cough that left her ribs throbbing. Sarah frowned even as she opened her eyes. Her ribs shouldn't just be throbbing, they should be _blazing_ with pain. They were broken, weren't they?

She struggled into a sitting position, weakness almost overcoming her. Dizziness did overcome her, and she leaned heavily against the headboard of her bed, eyes closed as she tried to remember what had happened.

As she sat like that, she heard her door opening. Opening her eyes a crack, she saw Alanna walking in with a tray of food in one hand, the other rubbing her face blearily. "Is that for me?" Sarah croaked, causing another coughing fit.

Alanna rushed over, placing the plate of food on the dresser as she held a glass of water against Sarah's lips. "Drink." She ordered.

While Sarah had gulped down the contents of the glass, Alanna watched her quietly, one hand supporting her younger friend as she sat slumped against the headrest. She continued to watch her as Sarah pulled her shirt up part way, and as Sarah's eyes widened when she noticed her ribs were showing through her skin. She kept watching as Sarah noticed the scars that ran across her chest, arms and legs, and as Sarah's hands flew to her face, feeling for the raised skin she knew to be there.

When Sarah finally met Alanna's eyes, Alanna asked quietly. "You're alright?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Yeah… I am. But I shouldn't be. I should be dead."

Alanna handed her the tray of food, and Sarah noticed fruit, bread rolls and thick slices of ham. As her stomach growled she muttered, "Ofcourse, if I don't eat something soon…" and dug into the food ravenously, almost inhaling the contents of the tray. When she was finished she sighed and closed her eyes. "What happened? How'd I get here?"

Alanna shrugged. "I don't know. I was just coming back from dinner when I saw a flash of light… and when I rushed into your room I saw you lying there on the bed, your clothes slashed to pieces…"

Sarah looked thoughtful. "The gods must have brought me back here…"

Alanna took a shuddering breath, and hugged her tightly. "You looked… dead. You had us worried for a while there. The others have all been in to visit at some stage in the last two weeks-"

Sarah started. "Two weeks?! I've been unconscious for two weeks?"

Alanna grinned wryly. "Now you know why you had us all worried."

Sarah grinned impishly. "Sorry… won't do it again." Raising two fingers to her temple, she added, "Scout's honour."

Before Alanna could respond there was a rap on the door. A head poked through the door, and Kel was saying, "Alanna, George told me to come get you. He said that you need to rest and by the gods you're awake." She stared at Sarah, who was looking slightly amused, if tired. The other lady knight walked through the door, almost hesitantly and gave Sarah a quick hug and a smile. "I'd better tell the others. I'll be right back. _Don't_ go anywhere."

Sarah nodded, the minimal activity since she had awoken having exhausted her. Thayet was the next through the door, and she flew through it, and before Sarah knew it she was being crushed in a vice-like grip. Jon approached at a more sedate pace, but hugged her all the same. "It's done then? The world is safe from the Three Sorrows?"

Alanna thumped him on the shoulder as Sarah turned quiet, her eyes reliving the horror she had gone through. "Yes." She whispered. "The Sorrows have been defeated."

Jon nodded in understanding and patted her knee. "I'm sorry for asking, but-"

Sarah nodded quickly, wiping the sober expression off of her face with a grin. "I understand. You have a kingdom to run, so you need to make sure the place isn't going to fall apart while your back is turned."

He grinned and tweaked her nose. "Exactly."

Alanna still looked grumpy, and the look intensified as Sarah swung her legs over the bed's edge. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'm just standing up. Because I haven't done it in two weeks. And my legs are throbbing."

As she struggled to support her own weight, Daine and Numair rushed through the door. When they saw Sarah trying to stand, they stopped quickly. "Where do you think you're going?" Numair frowned.

Sarah threw up her hands. "Fine, I'll sit in the bed for the rest of the year. I need to stretch my muscles. They haven't ever been still this long."

During the ruckus, Sarah almost didn't notice a flash of fabric at the door. Frowning she called out, "Hello? Come on, don't be shy."

Riley poked his head around the door, and shuffled a few feet before bowing deeply. "Y-your Majesties, my Lords, my Ladies. S-sorry for interrupting."

Sarah scowled. "Get in here. And stop bowing to everything that moves. You're making me dizzy." He walked obediently forward, eyes flitting between nobles. Sarah sighed. "Guys, can you give us a moment?"

They nodded and left the room, and Sarah turned to the young page. "Stop skulking and come over here. Shouldn't you be in class right about now?"

He gave a little chuckle. "That's why I'm skulking."

Sarah laughed outright. "I see. Don't worry, I'll see whether the King can give you a note excusing you from classes. How many have you skipped so far?"

He blushed and looked at his feet. "Um… all day so far."

Sarah grinned and ruffled his hair. "You know, whatever it is that's taught today will end up being on the exams. That's the way it is, you skip a class…"

He nodded. "I know. I'll catch up."

Sarah snorted. "No you won't. Not with all the other classes, and the homework, and the training… But hey, don't worry about it mate. I'll get his Majesty back in here for that note." Raising her voice, she called out, "Jon! Can you come in here? No, Riley, don't shy away. He's your King, you shouldn't be afraid of him."

Riley managed a nod and shrank against her desk. Sarah sighed. "Riley here has sacrificed his classes for the sake of being vigilant at my door. Can you write him a note?"

Jon's eyes twinkled. "Sacrificing your classes are you?" At his forced nod, Jon grinned softly. "Very chivalrous of you. I'll make sure your training masters know you're here."

Sarah suddenly felt overwhelmingly exhausted, and lay back down on her mattress, eyes fluttering closed. She felt Jon's hands patting her hair back, out of her face, and allowed herself to drift off, asleep.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah had been up and out of bed for more than a week, but today was the first day she had gone more than an hour without having to sit down. She leaned lightly against the fence of a training field, and looked towards the bright blue sky. She sighed in contentment, closing her eyes, and feeling the sun warm her face.

Hearing a crack, she didn't open her eyes, instead she said, "Thanks for bringing me back here."

Mithros' voice answered her. "It wasn't my idea. It was my sisters. But you're welcome."

They stood in silence, until Mithros broke it. "I can take you home, right now, if you'd like."

Sarah's eyes opened as he said this. "I- I need to say goodbye to everyone first. I can't just up and leave them all. I'll never see them again."

The God of War looked somewhat uncomfortable. "That isn't entirely true. Here." He handed her a silver charm, a circle with a circle within it. The circle within spun upon an axis. "If you apply magic to spin the inner circle you will return to whichever dimension you last left."

Sarah's mouth opened and closed like a gold fish. She looked upon the God of War with genuine gratitude. "Thankyou." She whispered. "How are my family?"

He flapped a hand at her. "You'll see." And disappeared with a crack.

Sarah sighed, and walked quickly towards the palace, to gather her friends for a not-so-final goodbye.

a/n. there will be another chapter after this, to set up for the sequels.. mwahahahahahaaa


	8. Chapter 8

A/n. Just letting you know, the method used to stop the thing that is about to happen in this chapter is completely scientifically viable. Physics came in handy!

**Homecoming**

Sarah swayed a little as clutched the pendant. One thing could be said about the gods; they'd make excellent theme park ride designers. When she had regained her balance she glanced up at house that stood before her. She grimaced and let out a breath. Urging her feet to move, she made her way to the front door of her family's two story abode.

Before knocking, she looked down at her appearance and scowled. A brown tunic top covered an emerald shirt, which, in today's styles, clashed painfully with her light green breeches. _What was I thinking, dressing like this?_ She thought angrily to herself. _Oh, that's right, I didn't have any _normal_ clothes._

She shook her head and rung the doorbell, hearing a scamper of feet as someone came to the door. She took a deep breath and held it, preparing for whatever was about to happen. She shuffled anxiously, her soft leather boots making whispers of noise against the cement porch. When the door opened to reveal her mother's face, Sarah quietly said, "Hello mum. How are you?"

Sarah didn't know what to expect. To be swept into a hug, maybe a few tears of joy, a few 'praise the Lord!'s' maybe. Not the look of confusion that crossed her mother's face as she asked, "Where have you been all morning and where did you get those clothes?"

Sarah gaped. "All morni- What date is it?"

Her mother frowned at her daughter, who was acting strangely. "June fifteenth… Sarah, honey, what's wrong?"

Sarah swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "Ah… I need to speak with you and John. It's very important."

Her mother's frown deepened at her behaviour. "You look pale… I'll go get John and you go wash your face. You have a line of stuff across it…"

Sarah replied quietly, "It won't come off. Can you just get John, please?"

While her mother fetched her brother and his wheelchair, Sarah sat formally on a couch in the living room, perched precariously as her mind raced. They thought she had only been gone a day. But she had been gone for half a year… and she had changed a lot in that time too. How was it possible that her family didn't know she was gone?

She heard a quiet chuckle as Mithros' voice appeared in her head. "You asked us to do something, and we complied. Scant hours have passed here since you left."

Sarah's eyes narrowed as she thought fiercely back, _You__ could have warned me._ She thought she heard the reply, "That would be no fun." But she could have been imagining it.

When her mother wheeled John in, a puzzled look still on her face, Sarah let out a sigh, wondering where to begin. She looked to her mother quickly, trying for a grin but only partially succeeding. "You asked what I was wearing. Breeches and a tunic top. Apparently brown and green are my colours."

Her mother frowned. "What's going on? Sarah, what's the matter?"

Sarah grimaced as the sentence came out in a rush. "I haven't been missing all morning, I've been gone for six months." Holding up a hand to forestall any arguments, she continued. "Let me explain. You see, there is another dimension. And in that other dimension, there's a country called Tortall. I've been there for the last six months, studying as a knight, a Shang warrior- they're somewhat like a Shaolin Monk- and a mage. The gods took me from my bed while I dreamt and asked me to complete a mission for them."

Her mother frowned. "Gods? What mission?"

Sarah blew out a sigh. "I had to defeat the Three Sorrows, Slaughter, Starvation and Malady. That's where my scars came from. It's not dirt, it won't wash off."

John laughed. In a sing song voice he crowed, "She's finally cracked! Too much junk food has caused nightmares that have driven her _nuts_!"

Sarah scowled. "I am not nuts. Mum, you believe me, don't you?"

Her mother shook her head. "Did something happen while you were out? Are you alright Sarah?"

Sarah's scowl deepened. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, but you have to trust me! I'm telling the truth." She struggled to find a way to prove it. She had no weapons available to demonstrate her proficiency with, and any normal human, with enough training, could do most of the things she knew of as a Shang. That left mage craft.

She looked at her mother and sighed. "Alright. You don't believe me, that's fine. But I can't fake this." Holding up a hand, she concentrated. She had thought about making it glow with light, but that was too simple. She wanted to awe her family, so much so that they wouldn't doubt her. Sarah concentrated as hard as she had in the Chamber of the Ordeal, and watched as her hand caught fire in a crimson display of pure magic. Holding her face as impassive as possible, showing the fire didn't hurt in the slightest, she turned back to her family. "Now do you believe me? The gods' stopped time when I asked them what you two were going to do when you noticed I was missing. That's how I've been gone for six months, when you only noticed me gone for a few hours."

Her mother and brother sat there, shock clear on their faces as she let the fire fade into nothing. When the shock wore off, her brother started to say 'cool' as a grin spread over his face. Sarah started to grin in relief, but her mother's icy voice stopped the reaction in its tracks.

"You bring that, that- how can you do that kind of thing? It is against the will of our Lord, Christ!"

Sarah's blood ran cold as she heard her mother's words. She closed her eyes against her mother's harsh, disapproving face. She hadn't thought about her mother's fierce religious beliefs when she had been deciding how to prove her story, and now her mother thought she was the antichrist. "Look, mum-"

The older woman cut her off, fury in her eyes. "Get out! Get out of my house! You bring that rubbish into our house. The devil has tempted you, and you attempt to tempt us! Get out!"

Sarah stood, fury in her eyes. "Believe what you want, mother, but I have moved heaven and earth to get back here. I fought hard on my mission for the gods to save lives, but I fought hard to _survive_ so I could come back to you, my family! And now you're kicking me out. Don't worry, I'll leave. I've learned a thing or two about looking after myself in the last six months, whether you want to beli-" She was cut off as a wave of power hit her, bringing visions with it. She gasped, overwhelmed by the experience, wondering what was happening. She'd never had the Sight, never been a Seer. How could she be having a vision now?

She came to her senses on the floor of the living room, looking up into the worried brown eyes of her mother. "Sarah…" She started, and an unknown emotion passed across her face. Was that guilt? "Sarah, stay still, I'll call an ambulance."

Sarah shook her head as she climbed painfully to her feet. She rubbed her elbow as she shook her head to clear it. "No, no ambulance. I have too much on my plate right now. I know you don't believe me, or worse, think of me as the antichrist, but I just had a vision." Forestalling any comments with a hand, she continued. "And I seriously doubt that the devil wants me to save everyone in the path of a giant tsunami heading for us right now. It'll hit the east coast of Australia today, I don't know when."

She walked to the kitchen and looked through the herbs. Not finding a single one that could be of any use, she swore, a deep colourful insult she had learned from George. When her brother asked what it meant, she muttered, "Nothing." Before stalking out the door, starting to jog as she headed towards the beach. Cold temperatures and salt water amplified magic, so hopefully the cold-ish water of Coff's Harbour beach would do a good enough job. As she jogged she thought quickly.

_Okay, so I know absolutely _no_ spells for stopping the tide… and I have absolutely no magical aids except the beach. I am royally screwed._ As she reached the beach she cursed a long chain of words that meant something incredibly vulgar. _I really have been hanging around George too much._ The water was receding quickly, leaving hundreds of meters of wet sand in its wake. Sarah broke into a sprint, trying to catch up with the water even as the life guards yelled for everyone to vacate the beach. One raced to catch up with her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop. As she freed herself, he yelled at her, "This is a tsunami warning! The tide is receding, and if you stick around you'll be crushed by the wave!"

She turned away from him quickly, starting to run towards the water line which was slowing steadily. "So run! I've got to try something!"

She heard him curse the crazy girl even as he turned tail and ran, leaving her to her fate. _Wise._ Sarah thought. _Very wise._ As she reached the water line and plunged inwards, she pulled the heat out of the salty water and into herself, feeling her power boost as she came in contact with the now icy cold salt water.

Her legs pumped mechanically forward as the water kept receding, and she sent her awareness outwards, towards the incoming wave, biting back a gasp as she saw the magnitude of the wave. It was at least three meters high, and rushing forward with blinding speed. A random fact emerged from the recesses of her subconscious mind. Tsunamis can travel up to nine hundred kilometres per hour. Sarah sent her magic in the form of a plough, trying to divert the wave. Nothing happened.

_It'll work better when it gets a little closer._ Sarah thought. _And at the speed it's travelling, that won't be very long._

She tried a few more times, repeating her efforts every time it failed, hoping that the kilometre it travelled every four seconds would bring it close enough to stop, with her bare will power alone. She gritted her teeth, and tried again. A spark of hope appeared when it budged slightly. Sarah merged her magic into a sharp wedge, determined to slice the wave in half. Hopefully when the wedge was driven through the wave it would diverge, and each half would curve around to demolish the other.

Her wedge pushed uselessly against the wave of water, not having enough strength to force it's way through it. Sarah gritted her teeth, hands outstretched and fingers splayed. Her face twisted in a snarl as the effort became painful. She groaned as the magic raced from her at her behest, forcing itself against the wave which threatened the lives of possibly millions. She closed her eyes as the effort became too much, and cried out, "Great Mother, give me strength!"

A new power flowed through her, cooling her veins and leaving her head clear, even as she applied the extra energy to fighting off the wave. Her wedge started driving through the wave, and the edges started to curve, diverging upon each other and completely dissolving the fast moving destructive force into little more than a fast tide. She pushed the wedge deeper, deeper still, until it passed through to the other side of the wave, and the halves curved around it, diverging upon each other and dissolving the rest of the tsunami. Sarah felt the knee depth water deepen slowly, to her waist, her chest, and her chin. She allowed herself to be pulled off of her feet by the slow moving current, floating on her back as her eyes fluttered shut.

A sound filled her ears, even as the current drew her deeper in the ocean on its way back out, but she couldn't open her eyes to see what it was.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah opened her eyes a peak, and spied a white roof with fluorescent lights mounted every couple of meters. Leaving her eyes opened a crack, she allowed them to roam around the room, settling briefly on the chairs, the television set up in the corner, the rails for curtains that surrounded her bed, and finally on her bed, where she lay, stiff as a board from lack of movement. She glanced at her wrist and found an IV hooked into her vein, pumping what she hoped was nutrients and not a drug into her system.

Seeing no one else in the room she opened her eyes all the way and levered herself into a sitting position, fumbling blindly for the amber stone that Great Mother had given her. If it worked like Alanna's did, she'd be able to spy anomalous substances in the glass of water on the bed side table. Sarah knew she was being paranoid, but she didn't care. She was allowed to be paranoid- she was completely drained of magic and she'd just woken up in an unusual place. When she had found the stone and examined the contents of the glass, she sighed in relief. Nothing in there, not that she could tell. She took a long swill, leaving the glass empty even as a man in a white coat entered the room.

He stopped short when he noticed she was awake. Fumbling for words, he managed an introduction in a Scottish accent. "Um. Hello. I'm Doctor Patricks, how are you feeling?"

He walked over and shone a light in her eyes, checking her pupils. Sarah endured the procedure patiently, before answering, "Pretty good. When can I go?"

The doctor seemed shocked by her abruptness, but replied anyway. "Um… when we know why you collapsed and what caused it. Can you tell me what happened?"

Sarah considered telling him that she had stopped the tsunami with magic, but decided she preferred the ward she was in, rather than letting herself get shipped off to the loony bin. "I honestly can't remember, Doctor." She gave him an innocent look, which evaporated when he turned the television on. There she was, from an eagle eye view, legs spread apart for balance as her fingers clawed at the air, a crimson fire blooming from them to drive its way through the wave. Grimacing, Sarah sighed. "So _that's_ the sound I heard when I passed out, a helicopter. How long have I been unconscious for?"

He nodded as he opened the blinds of the room all the way. "Two helicopters, actually. You were rescued by an SES helicopter while the Channel 7 chopper captured it all on video. You've been unconscious for three days." He cracked the window, so she could hear the ruckus happening in the parking lot. "There are a lot of people down there that want to thank you for saving their lives."

Sarah grimaced again. "I really don't like where this is leading…" she trailed off as she noticed a man in a long coat walk in, a guarded expression on his face.

The newcomer turned to Doctor Patricks. "Can you give us some privacy, Doctor?"

The other man nodded and left the room, throwing Sarah an encouraging smile. She smiled back but let the expression fade as she focused on the man standing in front of her. Her words as guarded as his face, she asked, "Who're you?"

His response was to flash a gold badge, before stating, "Detective Stuart Greason. What's your name?"

Considering giving her a fake name, she decided that it would be easy enough for him to verify the facts and gave him her real name. "Sarah Gibson."

He nodded and flipped open a note pad, jotting it down. "Alright Sarah, can you tell me what happened?"

She shrugged, deciding that nothing would sound weirder than what he had obviously already seen on the television, and replied, "I had a vision that the tsunami was going to hit the coast, so I used my Gift- that's magic, in case you didn't know- to stop it."

The only sign of his surprise at the answer was the pause of his pen as he noted that down. "Your magic." It was a statement, not a question.

Sarah answered any way. "Yes. My magic. It's a long story."

When he looked at her she noticed his piercing, ice blue eyes. "So tell it."

Rolling her eyes, she asked, "Do you believe in God, Detective?" He shook his head, and she grinned brightly. "Good, cause that'll make the story that much easier to tell. You see…"

When she was finished the much abbreviated version he was staring at her, the note pad forgotten moments earlier as her story drew on. Finally he cleared his throat. "So you're telling me that you've been missing for the last six months, but really only half a day here, and have been training to fight some evil, and when you defeated it you came back here…"

She shrugged. "That's the gist of it."

He shook his head. "Try the other one."

Sarah scowled and pointed to the television, where the clip of her stopping the wave was playing, _again._ "Take a good look, Detective. That isn't CGI or special effects."

He frowned at her. "You're serious. You weren't just making it up?"

She shook her head stubbornly. "It's one hundred percent true. Do you want to see? I'm kind of drained, but I'm sure I can muster enough energy to make my hand glow… or light a small candle if you bring me one."

He nodded his head slowly. "Let's see what you can do then…"

She focused on her hand, intent on making it glow, even as sweat beaded at her temples. Frowning, she concentrated harder, until a soft, uneven glow was cast about the room. It lasted a few seconds before Sarah fell back against the pillows, panting.

Detective Greason frowned. "So how come you're so tired now, after doing that, but you managed to stop the wave the other day? Surely it took more energy to stop the wave than make your hand glow."

She sighed, exasperated. "I'm like a dam. When I tackled the wave I took up all of the water in the damn. I'm not full again yet. When I am I could glow all over for days without needing to rest."

He nodded in comprehension and closed the note pad. "Alright then Miss Gibson. Get some rest, I'll be back tomorrow for further questioning."

She nodded and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It took a few days, but Detective Greason managed to get all of the details straight, from start to finish, of Sarah's time in Tortall and subsequent stopping of the tsunami. She had gained strength in that time, and by the time he had completed his report she was up and about, dressed in her freshly washed clothes and ready to leave. Doctor Patricks stopped her as she tried to walk out of the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

Rolling her eyes, she answered, "To find some chocolate. I haven't had any in over six months." He started. That was _not_ the response he had been expecting.

"And when you find the chocolate, how do you intend to pay for it?" Sarah stopped, scowling. He continued. "Go on, back to bed with you. You still need some rest."

She shook her head stubbornly. "Nope. I'm blowing this popsicle stand."

He tried to argue with her. "But we still haven't been able to get a hold of your family, to come pick you up!"

She laughed bitterly. "My mother isn't coming."

He frowned at her. "Have a little faith, would you? People can surprise you sometimes."

Sarah shook her head. "Nope. I'm off. Thanks for being such a great doctor, and for not calling me devil spawn or anything like that, I appreciate it. I hope I'm not expected to pay for this little visit; I haven't got any money…" She trailed off hopefully.

He held up his hands. "No, no. Your stay is courtesy the New South Wales government."

Sarah smiled. "Good. See ya." She waved a little as she walked off, leaving him staring after her.

When she had found her way to the entrance of the hospital, she stopped in her tracks. There was a large swarm of people behind a barrier formed by members of the police forces, waving signs. Her jaw dropped even as she turned around, looking for a nurse or employee. Spying a janitor mopping the floors, she walked up to him. "Excuse me?"

He grunted and kept his eyes on the floor. Trying again, she asked, "Excuse me? I was just wondering whether there were any other exits."

He didn't look up at her as he responded, "That's the only one for the public. The rest are all off limits to everyone but doctors, nurses, and janitors."

Sarah winced and thanked the man, even if he was rude. She stared at the automatic doors in fear, not wanting to face the crowd of people out there. A small part of her mind reasoned with her. _It's not like they'll recognize you. They saw you from a distance, wet and bedraggled. You're dry and your hair is brushed… you can slip right past them._ Sarah frowned thoughtfully. _Maybe… I wish I had a little more juice left… I could really do with an invisibility spell right now._

She headed for the door, walking as casually as she could manage. When she cleared the door she noticed there were press interviewing a man in a flannel shirt. "Well, when we pulled her out of the water she was still breathing, so we rushed her straight here." She heard him say.

_Oh no. One of my rescuers. This is bad… Just keep walking, he won't recognize you._ The man yelling, "Hey! It's her!" Interrupted her thoughts as she turned around, cringing.

"Um… hi?" She tried, but the press swarmed her, her rescuer forgotten. Microphones were shoved in her face and questions were shouted over other questions. "Whoa, whoa, give a girl some space! Seriously." She backed up towards the wall of the hospital, hands up to ward off stray microphones. When they were all quiet, she asked, "Now, one at a time. Who was first?"

The tumult started again and Sarah groaned in frustration. "Seriously, if you all ask your questions at the same time, then I can't answer any of them, can I? Now, we need some order. Lets see…" She looked at the logos on the microphone. "So we have channels seven, nine, ten, ABC and SBS. Ooh, I see Fox too. Alright, any newspapers or radio networks?" When she saw a couple of reporters nod, she added, "Sorry guys, but you'll be last so I can keep track of everything. Alright, ABC first. What's your question?"

"How did you stop the wave?" A female reporter asked, shoving her microphone in Sarah's face for her answer.

"Magic." Sarah replied bluntly, receiving some laughs.

"No, really." The reporter repeated.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Seriously, magic. Didn't you see their footage?" She jabbed a finger at the channel seven reporter. Everyone was quiet for a moment, until they all started yammering for her attention once again, and Sarah _hmpf_ed in frustration. "Quiet! It's a bloody circus here! Now, channel seven, what's your question?"

A young man in a suit and tie held the microphone to her mouth as he asked, "Where did you learn to do such things?"

Sarah frowned at him. "It's okay, you can say magic, it won't hurt." She grimaced as she answered. "Uh… well I guess if you didn't like my 'magic' answer, you won't like this one. I learnt all I know about magic in another dimension."

This sparked a new deluge of questions, and Sarah gave in, answering the questions as best she could manage. When she was sick of the circus, she forced her way through the crowd, nodding to Detective Greason as she passed him. When she had cleared the crowd she took off in a run, pouring her strength into her legs, even as members of the crowd called after her. Sarah didn't know where she was going, but that didn't matter.

The… End…


	9. Authors Note

Alrighty then. Now that this story is finished, I want a vote! I'm doing a sequel to this story, and it's going to be set in a different fandom to Tamora Pierce. Here is a list of all the ones I am an immense fan of, in order of how I would like to do it. But since I want to keep my two or so reviewers happy, I'll let you choose! I'll just make up a different story line if it doesn't fit with my schedule.

Star Trek

Star Wars

X-men

DC Universe (that's Justice League, Teen Titans etc)

Law and Order SVU

Ruruoni Kenshin

InuYasha

NCIS

Tamora Pierce- Emelan Universe

Matthew Reilly (more specifically the Scarecrow series)

Harry Potter

Tru Calling

Prison Break

Maximum Ride

So let me know which you'd prefer (preferably a list of the ones you like, if any, rather than just you know, one name.) and I'll write that one next.

Thanks,

AnotherChance


End file.
